The Villainous ThirtySecond
by Napkin the Spoony
Summary: Their gazes met once again as they studied each other's eyes, testing each other."Then why are you here?" Konoemon pushed. Naruto grinned, turned, and opened the door, "I am here to do what any great villain is, oji-san. I'm going to take over the world."
1. Kyoto in Flames: The New Kid

_The morning sunlight slowly leaked into the office, spilling over the walls, bookshelves that were crammed with different texts and tomes, and his desk. The sunlight pooled halfway through his office, over the oaken floors and hitting his back just right to allow gentle and relaxing warmth to overcome him. As he chiseled away at a large stack of paperwork, Konoemon Konoe hummed contently—mornings like these were his favorites. Days where nothing too exciting or outgoing happened, where he could just sit in his office and let his mind focus on his work in a comfortable atmosphere. His eyes fell over the memos that were on his desk, causing him to stroke his beard in thought as he scanned over each word._

_Just the other day, Asuna Kagurazaka had been left in his care and Takamichi T. Takahata had begun his work as teacher. According to the memo on his desk, the two new additions—specifically Asuna—had made quite a splash already. Konoemon chuckled as he read how the girl had picked a fight with one of her new classmates, Ayaka Yukihiro. _

'_Well, it's nice to see that she's making friends,' Konoemon nodded to himself, pushing the paper away and grabbing another from the pile. Grabbing a cup of green tea that lay at the corner of his desk, Konoemon took a long sip of the warm liquid and allowed it to wash down his throat as he thought. In exactly one year, his granddaughter, Konoka Konoe, would be transferring to Mahora Academy from Kyoto. It was causing quite a bit of infighting among the members of the Kansai Magical Association and his son-in-law, Eishun Konoe, was struggling to keep everything under control. Picking up his pen again, he began to read over the paper he had before him and sign in the appropriate spots._

'_No sense in getting my old body stressed this early in the morning,' Konoemon sighed, attempting to ignore his growing headache. Silence reigned for what could be no more than fifteen minutes as Konoemon busied himself with his work when a knock came at his door. He didn't bother to set his pen down or lift his head, "Come in."_

_The door opened and the sound of footsteps entered the room. Konoemon was just finishing up with the page of paperwork he was on when the footsteps finally came to a stop just a few feet in front of his desk. Raising his head, the first thing his gaze fell upon was a smile. If Konoemon had to describe the smile, he would say that there wasn't really a smile—there was no emotion behind it whatsoever. It was more like something had put on a mask and was trying to imitate a happy person—it was doing a very good job, too, as it would be able to trick anyone who did not have an eye for these things._

_The smile was attached to the face of a small boy, probably no more than seven years of age. He had lightly tanned skin and spiky blond hair that fell over his forehead. Two sapphire blue eyes that held no genuine emotion stared Konoemon right in the eyes, and just below either of those eyes were three whisker-like marks that spread out on either cheek. He had on a loose orange t-shirt with simple black pants and shoes. Clutched tightly in his small hand was the ear of a large stuffed rabbit that dragged on the floor behind him. _

_Konoemon stared at the young boy and the child stared right back into Konoemon's eyes. The look in the sapphire eyes reminded Konoemon of an animal that was sizing up its next meal, testing the waters to decide whether or not its prey was too dangerous to be provoked._

"…_Can I help you, young man?" Konoemon questioned after a moment of silence between the two. The boy's smile stretched just a bit wider._

"_Ohayo, oji-san! I was just wondering if you could transfer me into this school! Pretty please with sugar on top~?" the boy all but sang in a tone so sweet that it nearly sounded as if he was mocking him. Konoemon could only stare at the boy in a mix of confusion and surprise—a seven-year-old storming his office and asking to be transferred to his school? That was certainly a first._

'_Best try to explain how these things work…' Konoemon reasoned, "Well, if you're looking to transfer into Mahora Academy, then you've come to the right place. My name is Konoe Konoemon and I am the headmaster of this academy. You're name was…?"_

"_Naruto!" the boy smiled._

"_I see. Well, it's very nice to meet you, Naruto-kun. If you want to transfer here to Mahora, your parents will have to clear it with your current school and your files and records will have to be sent here along with some other forms. Do you understand, Naruto-kun?" Konoemon smiled gently, "Transferring schools isn't something that can be done just by asking. If you want, I could check our files to see if your parents already sent the forms in. All I would need is your last name."_

"_I don't have one. Last names are useless—I hate useless things," Naruto grinned._

"_I…see. Well, Naruto-kun, I'm afraid I can't find your files without a last na—"_

"_There was no point in checking anyway, oji-san. I never had any files to begin with," Naruto closed his eyes and gave a calm smile with a tilt of his head, "I said I would like to transfer into Mahora Academy. Please let me."_

_Konoemon blinked, his old battle instincts suddenly awakening from their long slumber and warning him to be on edge, "I believe I just finished explaining, Naruto-kun, that I can't do that without the proper papers."_

_Naruto's dull and stoic eyes snapped open in a split second, almost sending a shiver down Konoemon's spine. Something about this boy…it disturbed him to the very core. It was like the boy wasn't real, like he was some sort of doll that had put on a human skin. Naruto smiled at him again, "I understand what you're saying, oji-san! Just a second, please!"_

_Konoemon watched as the boy raised the stuffed animal in his hands to his chest. His left hand shifted from gripping the ear of the rabbit to getting a tight hold on the toy's head. His right hand snaked around to grab the rabbit's throat. Konoemon blinked in confusion, "Naruto-kun, what are you do—"_

_With a good tug and twist, stuffing spilled out onto the floor. Naruto tossed the head of the stuffed animal over his shoulder without a second thought, shoving his right arm into the body of the animals and rummaging around inside while Konoemon watched, stunned. After a moment of looking through the now-decapitated toy, Naruto pulled his arm out, a small hard drive now in his hand. Konoemon stared in confusion as Naruto thrust the hard drive towards him._

"_This hard drive contains all the data you would possibly need to track down the remnants of over 2,000 members of Cosmo Entelecheia that have yet to be caught," Naruto grinned, "Please consider this my paperwork." _

"_Y-You!" Konoemon shot up from his seat, knocking his chair to the floor in his flurry of movement, and slammed his hands on the table, shock and anger evident on his face, "Where did you get that? How did you get that? How do you even know about—"_

"_It doesn't matter what my method was, right? All that matters is how quickly Cosmo Entelecheia will be defeated with this. It sounds like a fair deal to me—information on 2,000 members of an enemy organization in exchange for allowing me to enroll in your school."_

"_Wrong. You have just given me a very good reason to deny your request. If you're capable of getting such information, it means that you can be quite dangerous when the need arises. I won't expose my students to you! I won't give you the opportunity to hurt them!" Konoemon growled, his fierce glare burning at Naruto's unwavering smile, "I have a duty to protect these children! If you think you can bribe me to abandon that duty, you are sorely mistaken! Now get out of here before you make me truly angry!"_

_Naruto stood there a moment, his hand still offering the hard drive, before he pulled his offer back and shrugged his shoulders, "Aw~! I was hoping to have a nice time living here, too! You're so mean, oji-chan! But if you really want me to leave, I guess I don't have a choice. I'll just look for schooling elsewhere."_

"_Leave. __**Now**__."_

"_Sure thing, oji-san!" Naruto grinned, turning and heading to the door. Konoemon watched him like a hawk as he did so, making sure that the boy did not do anything funny. Konoemon was too wise to underestimate an opponent because of their age or size. Naruto had proven that he could be a threat. That was a good enough reason to treat him like one as long as his student's safety was at risk. Could he have been lying about the information on the disk? Perhaps._

'_But it would be unwise to lie about that. Even if I had accepted the bribe, I would know where he was if he stayed here. Besides, how else would he know about Cosmo Entelecheia's existence if he wasn't serious?' Konoemon frowned as Naruto's hand reached for the door. Suddenly, the boy stopped and twirled around, his smile turning ever so slightly malicious and his eyes growing even duller and more stoic._

"_Hey, oji-san, before I go, I was wondering if you could answer my question," Naruto asked, "Is Kyoto nice this time of year?"_

_Konoemon's heart stopped._

"_Because I was thinking of heading there for schooling—since I wasn't accepted here, of course," Naruto smiled with a tilt of his head._

_Konoemon's body went rigid as he stared at the child in shock and horror._

"_Oh, that reminds me! You have a granddaughter in Kyoto, don't you, oji-san? I would love to meet her! Maybe when I go up there, we'll become friends! It can get pretty lonely sometimes, you know?" Naruto grinned._

"…_You…i-is that a threat?" Konoemon managed out, his left hand trembling in a mix of fear and rage. Naruto hummed in thought._

"_Eh~? A threat? How mean of you! You shouldn't make such cruel accusations! It's not a threat!" Naruto smiled lightly…before his grin turned malicious and stretched across his face, "It's a promise! But I'm benevolent, so I'll give you an option. Either you accept my bribe from before and become a worthless headmaster who abandoned his own students or you become a worthless grandfather who abandoned his own granddaughter. Either way, things are going to change for you."_

"_And what's to stop me from defeating you right here and now before you have a chance to hurt anyone?" Konoemon glared, stepping around his desk._

"_How slow do you think I am, oji-san?" Naruto laughed, "You can try to stop me—be my guest, in fact. You'll be able to kill me, I promise you that, but I wonder how many people I can get to before you do. I'm betting at least seventeen, if not more. Humans are so weird—it takes nine months to make life and just a second to take it away."_

_Konoemon glared at Naruto, daring him to make another move, to say another word. Naruto grinned back at him. No longer was his gaze that of a predator sizing up his prey, testing the waters of his next hunt. He looked at Konoemon now like a scientist would look at a rat in a maze—he looked like he knew he was in control, and now he was just having fun watching which way Konoemon would turn to try and find his way out of this crazy "maze" he had designed. Silence reigned over the room and all was still. Neither one of them moved. They stood there, watching each other, staring each other down. Both were waiting for the other to bite, to cave and give into the other's demands._

"…_I ask you this, Naruto-san. If I were to allow you to enter into this academy, what would be your intentions? Are you here to harm any of my students? Answer me honestly and clearly—I can tell when others are lying to me," Konoemon whispered reluctantly._

"_If it can be avoided, oji-san, I have no intention of harming any of your students," Naruto didn't skip a beat in his answer. Their gazes met once again. After another moment of studying Naruto's eyes, Konoemon nodded stiffly._

"_Then why are you here?" Konoemon pushed._

_Naruto grinned, turned, and opened the door, "I am here to do what any great villain is, oji-san. I'm going to take over the world."_

* * *

><p>"This place hasn't changed one bit, has it? Oi, guys, want to turn this place on its head? Cause a little trouble?"<p>

Three figures stood on the top of a large brick building overlooking a vast, beautiful, and peaceful city. It went on for miles, with the shadows of different buildings adding to an almost sleepy feeling that it gave off. The sunlight was glistening off the river than ran through the middle of the town from the bay, adding to the beauty of the morning. It was another warm spring day, and a picturesque one at that. The sky was sunny and blue, with fluffy white clouds moving slowly through it with the pleasant breeze that was currently shaking the petals of the sakura trees that lined each street. Students crowded the cobblestone roads below them in a rush to make it to their classes on time, making their way past numerous stores and shops. The figure that had made the comment belonged to a young man of about fifteen with spiky yellow hair, with lightly tanned skin and three distinct whisker-like marks on either cheek. He had a smile on his face as he looked out over the city, leaning over the edge of the building to get a better look. He wore a button-up white short-sleeved shirt and left the top two buttons undone, along with black pants and black loafers. Resting over his eyes lazily was a pair of sunglasses, keeping them from view.

"You shouldn't be trying to draw attention to yourself, idiot. Besides, don't you have to get to class-poyo?"

"Ne, Poyo-hime, you're so mean~!" the young man grinned, turning to face his companions. One was a girl with dark skin and a red scar-like mark over her right eye and a blue tear-drop mark under her left eye. She had soft, silvery-white hair, of which two long locks fell down to frame her face. Annoyance was evident from the frown on her face and the look in her amber eyes as she reached up to adjust the black tie she had on. She was wearing a white dress-shirt with a red vest over top of it, a plaid skirt and black socks with plain brown loafers—the standard girl's uniform for Mahora Academy.

"You really should try to lighten up once in awhile, Poyo-san. Naruto-dono hasn't been back here in five years—it's only natural that he would want to see what's changed," their third companion, a tall giant of a man, laughed in a light-hearted tone. He was dressed far more darkly than the other two—a pitch black suit and dress pants, with a dark trench coat and matching boots and gloves. On his head rested a black fedora hat with a long brim that almost hid his eyes from view. Two horn-like locks of white hair, aged from years of wisdom, poked out at the sides of his head. He laughed as he stroked his long white moustache that fell into his beard, his sharp red eyes filled with mirth.

"Stop acting like a child, Wilhelm! If it weren't for me, we'd never get anything done around here-poyo!" Poyo snapped, crossing her arms over her chest, "How can I lighten up when all I ever end up doing is playing babysitter for you two?"

"Please, call me Count Wilhelm at the very least, Poyo-san. You shouldn't speak in such an unladylike manner, either—it's unbecoming of a princess," Wilhelm sighed, adjusting the brim of his hat. Just as Poyo was about to turn her head to retort, Naruto spoke up again, never turning his head from the view of the city.

"Now's not the time to be picking fights, you guys. That worthless old man will sick Eva-chan on us in a second if he knows that we're here. You both know what your assignments are, right?"

Wilhelm grinned, "We are to continue to scout new talents across the globe."

"In other words, we do all the work while you goof off," Poyo grumbled.

"Isn't that what subordinates are for? Now, if you find anyone promising, remember to give them the patented approval test!" Naruto chuckled, "If they can't match up to either of you, then they're useless. I hate useless things."

"As if you'd ever let us forget-poyo," Poyo sighed, "And what exactly is so important about this place, anyway? Why are you going to be wasting another year here?"

Naruto laughed, "I have big plans for this place, Poyo-hime! It's filled to the brim with all sorts of talented people, so naturally I'll be doing a bit of scouting myself. But don't you worry your pretty little head, Poyo-hime, I won't be slacking off too much! If my plan is going to succeed, I need to get some work here done. So, just you wait…"

Naruto spread his arms out towards the city with a sly grin. Wilhelm chuckled and even Poyo managed a smirk at the sight of his eagerness.

"…By the end of this year, Mahora Academy will be under my complete control!" Naruto finished. Turning around to his two allies, Naruto gave a confident smirk and pointed his finger out, "Alright, Wilhelm, you're going to be scouting in this world! Poyo-chan, you'll take over scouting in Mundus Magicus! I'll keep in touch and call on you when I need your assistance, understand?"

"Understood, Naruto-dono!" Wilhelm bowed, removing his hat and crossing it over his chest as he did.

Poyo smirked, "Yeah, yeah, I got it."

"Great~!" Naruto laughed, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm late for my first day of class."

* * *

><p>The stations were crammed pack with people from wall to wall. Naturally, as all of the third-year classes were gathered there, along with any normal pedestrians, waiting for their chance to storm a train and get to their destination—Kyoto. Slowly, classes were divided into groups and students were boarding the trains. One child, however, was far more giddy and excited than any of the students—Negi Springfield. As he checked off names on his clipboard, Negi couldn't keep a grin from spreading onto his face. The entire trip, after all, was his proposal. Groups one through five had already been checked off, and now he was standing in front of the train awaiting group six.<p>

'_My first clue towards finding my father is getting closer and closer!' _Negi hummed to himself, _'Ah, I can't wait!'_

"Oi, Aniki, I know you're excited, but pay attention! We were told we have to be careful about the Kansai Magical Association, remember?" a voice spoke up from his shoulder, whispering into his near. Negi turned and gave a nodded to Chamo, the ermine that rested on his shoulder.

"I know, Chamo-kun," Negi whispered back, patting his pocket to feel the letter inside of it. That letter was his official mission—to make sure that it got delivered to the head of the Kansai Magical Association. As Negi checked this, however, two of his students, Setsuna Sakurazaki and Zazie Rainyday, if his roster was correct, decided to approach him.

"Sensei, I was meant to be the leader of group six, but Evangeline-san and Chachamaru-san didn't show up. It's just me and Zazie-san," Setsuna explained, "What should we do?"

"E-Eh? I see…that is a problem…" Negi mumbled, more to himself than to Setsuna. He had known that Evangeline wouldn't be able to come, and Chachamaru wouldn't leave her master's side. Turning back to see that all the other groups had already found their seats on the train, he nodded, "Why not join one of the other groups?"

"That won't be necessary, Sensei!"

Negi, Chamo, Setsuna, and Zazie turned to the source of the voice. Standing a few feet away from them was a young man, grinning as he struck a heroic pose. He pointed at the group, a serious look falling over his features, "The ladies hate that they love him and the men love that they hate him! The one with the answer to all your problems has arrived! The great, the mighty, the gallant Naruto is at your service!"

The group watched in a stunned and confused silence as the young man spoke, striking a new pose with every sentence. After his introduction had ended, the young man froze mid-pose and silence reigned. No one quite knew how to respond to the odd boy's actions. After a minute, the young man's shoulders slacked, he let out a disappointed sigh and his eyes glared weakly at the group from behind his sunglasses.

"Oi, what's the big deal? No cheering? No thunderous applause? No bowing in awe of my presence?" the boy complained, "What a terrible audience!"

Negi blinked, coming out of his stupor, "U-Um, excuse me, but who are you?"

"How cold of you, sensei~! Don't you recognize your student when you see him?" the young man grinned, chuckling, "Weren't you listening to my introduction? I am Naruto, your thirty-second student!"

"T-Thirty-second student?" Negi shouted in shock.

"Eh? Is it that much of a surprise? Classes get new students all the time, don't they?" Naruto smiled.

"B-But classes at Mahora aren't co-ed!" Setsuna argued. Naruto turned his attention towards her. For some reason unknown to herself, Setsuna almost took a step back as she felt his gaze fall upon her. He grinned happily.

"Yo, Set-chan, it's been awhile!" Naruto grinned, "Aren't co-ed you say? Well, looks like old man Konoe made an exception!"

"Do you know him, Setsuna-san?" Negi blinked, turning to the girl. Setsuna glared at Naruto.

"I've never met him before in my life," she replied indignantly.

"What~? How cruel of you, Set-chan! Have you forgotten me so quickly in my five year absence?" Naruto tried to feign the look of a kick puppy, failing to do so with his ever-present smile, "Have you forgotten our once strong love? Long, romantic walks on the beaches? The passionate nights we shared together?"

"P-Passionate nights?" Setsuna blushed, "I d-don't know what you're talking about!"

"S-Setsuna-san, y-you used to date him?" Negi blushed, turning to the girl.

"…?" Zazie turned her gaze to Setsuna as well. The girl heated up, a bright red hue spreading across her face as she looked between the two.

"I-I've never dated anyone before! I don't even know this person!" Setsuna argued, shaking her head furiously. Naruto laughed.

"Of course, I'm just joking about the romance. But really, Set-chan, you don't remember me, even a teeny-tiny bit? How disappointing. We used to have so much fun…" Naruto sighed, shrugging, his smile never fading, "But, more importantly, I can join Set-chan's group. A group of three people may be a bit small, but it should work fine, right, sensei?"

"W-Well, I don't see a problem with it…" Negi nodded. Naruto's grin widened a bit as Setsuna turned to Negi with a look of dread.

"S-Sensei, don't you think that Naruto-san should join Ayaka-san's group? As the class representative, wouldn't she be able to introduce Naruto-san to the class better?" Setsuna questioned. Negi blinked, tilting his head in confusion.

"But Naruto-san seems to already know you, Setsuna-san…" Negi frowned, "Wouldn't it be best if he stayed with someone he knows?"

"Besides, I don't need to be introduced to the class just yet! We can take care of that when we get to Kyoto!" Naruto grinned, "You aren't trying to get rid of me, are you, Set-chan? Especially not after five long years of not seeing each other? Oh, my childhood friend has become so heartless!"

"…Alright, Negi-sensei, our group will take Naruto-san," Setsuna relented, causing Negi to smile happily and Naruto to cheer. As the four boarded the train, Setsuna led Zazie and Naruto through the already-filled compartments of the train to one that was completely empty and the three took their seats. Slowly, the train began to pull away from the station. Setsuna glanced around the booth she had sat in—next to her was Zazie and directly across from her was Naruto.

Naruto smiled, tilting his head.

"Something wrong, Set-chan? Ah, I get it. It's probably weird not remembering a childhood friend, right? We knew each other since we were seven, after all," Naruto chuckled, scratching the back of his head sheepishly, "Well, even if you don't remember me, Set-chan is still Set-chan!"

"…Naruto-san, might I ask you a question?" Setsuna frowned, glancing to Zazie. The girl's eyes were closed and her breathing was steady—she appeared to be taking a nap, though it was never quite clear with Zazie. Naruto blinked.

"Of course, Set-chan."

Setsuna stared Naruto in the eye, "You knew my name, but I have never seen you before. I never forget a face, and I've certainly never seen yours. So, who are you exactly? How did you know my name?"

Everything was silent for a moment. Setsuna continued to stare into Naruto's obscured eyes suspiciously. Naruto's smile never faltered.

"Who am I? I'm Naruto, Set-chan. You know that," Naruto laughed, "You should really stop being so suspicious of me, you know. The others will think that you're picking on the new kid. Besides, if there's anyone who deserves your suspicion…apparently, it would be old man Konoe."

* * *

><p>Evangeline yawned as the clouds slowly passed by overhead. She stretched her arms towards the skies as she rested her head down on the tiled flooring of the roof. Chachamaru observed her master from the corner of her eye—she always enjoyed coming up to the roof to nap, for reasons unknown to Chachamaru. Evangeline laid there, looking up at the sky for a few minutes in silence before she finally spoke up.<p>

"I bet that brat is halfway to Kyoto by now…" Evangeline muttered sleepily.

"It's a shame that Master couldn't go with," Chachamaru commented. Evangeline snorted.

"Who says I wanted to go anywhere? I didn't want to go on that stupid trip with that brat. He'd be pestering me all the time," Evangeline replied, "And that old bastard would have me playing babysitter to make sure that the brat didn't mess anything up."

"Sorry—it appeared as if Master really wanted to go," Chachamaru stated.

Evangeline frowned, "Well, I didn't. Why didn't you go, anyway?"

"I would rather remain by Master's side," Chachamaru answered, "I don't wish to be anywhere else."

"We should all be so fortunate! I, too, would have preferred to stay by our master's side, but he has ordered us away for the time being!"

"Shut up. He's not our master—he's more like a really lazy boss, if anything-poyo."

Chachamaru couldn't keep up with the flurry of movement that occurred next. Her master had become a blur, leaping from her sprawled position to the robot's side as two other blurs pounced down on where Evangeline had been. Something shot out from one of the blurs towards her master, which the vampire easily backhanded away. When the commotion had died down, two strangers stood smirking at Evangeline and Chachamaru, who glared in return.

"And just who are you two? I should've sensed anyone breaking the barrier—how'd you get past undetected?" Evangeline growled. One of the strangers—the girl who looked startlingly like her classmate Zazie Rainyday—smirked.

"What kind of idiots do you take us for? Did you think we'd tell you all of our secrets if you just asked?" Poyo questioned, "Looks like the great Dark Evangel isn't all she's cracked up to be."

"Don't be rude, Poyo-san. Evangeline-san, I am Count Josef Wilhelm von Hermann and this is Poyo Rainyday. Let us cut to the chase, for the sake of time. On behalf of our master, we would like to extend to you an invitation to join and aid us in our goals. In return, when we succeed, you would be rewarded many times over," Wilhelm bowed deeply as he spoke. Chachamaru blinked in confusion as Evangeline glowered at the demon, a scowl on her face.

"Attacking a resting opponent isn't exactly the best way to extend an invitation, you know. I have no intention of joining anyone—leave now," Evangeline growled.

"Even if your freedom was involved?" Wilhelm questioned, rising from his bow and removing his hat, "Our master is one who can make the impossible possible—a worker of miracles, if you will. Give him the chance and I am certain that you would not be disappointed."

"…And who exactly is this master of yours, anyway?" Evangeline raised a brow.

"He's not our master—he's our boss. A bad one, at that," Poyo scowled, "His name is Naruto—he said you know him."

Evangeline looked from Poyo to Wilhelm and back. After a moment of silence, she broke out in an uproarious laughter and clutched her sides, falling to the ground and kicking her feet. Chachamaru ignored Poyo's and Wilhelm's looks of anger at her master's reaction and knelt down beside Evangeline, a look of curiosity spread across her features.

"Master, who is this Naruto person?"

"You wouldn't remember him, Chachamaru—he was sent away one month before you were created," Evangeline spoke, finally gaining control of her laughter, "So, that brat has finally returned, eh? Konoe was hoping that he'd left for good…well, things will be a lot more interesting around here now. So, I'm guessing he picked up you two flunkies while he was "studying abroad", am I right? Adorable. How are his plans going, anyway?"

"…Might I ask why you laughed at our master's name? Please be honest, Evangeline-san," Wilhelm muttered coldly, "I am beginning to feel a tad insulted."

"How do you know Naruto-poyo?" Poyo hissed, her fist clenching at her side.

"I laughed because I felt like it. If you think Naruto is some great miracle worker, then you are wrong. That brat is about as weak as they come—probably the weakest guy in the world. That's what he told me, anyway. And for the record, I know Naruto because Konoemon had me watch him like a hawk for the three years he was here right up until he got sent away five years ago. If you want my help, here's some advice: don't follow Naruto. He's the type of person that's seriously thought of killing everyone in the world, including himself—I should know. We're of the same nature, him and me," Evangeline declared, staring the two down.

Silence fell upon the rooftop again. It was broken when Poyo and Wilhelm started up with their own laughter. Evangeline seethed as the two laughed, her anger peaking. Chachamaru attempted to calm her master down to no avail—she was not one to be laughed at.

"And just what do you two find so funny?" Evangeline muttered, her fierce glare shooting towards Poyo and Wilhelm.

"My dear Evangeline-san, what you say of our master is partially true—he is a very dark person. I would not be surprised if he _has_ seriously considered killing everyone in this world—in fact, I believe his original plan was something along those lines," Wilhelm returned his hat to the top of his head as he spoke, "That is why we follow him—because he is the only person in the world with the power to actually do so."

"You may have known Naruto eight years ago, but you don't know the current Naruto," Poyo smirked haughtily, "As he is now, no one alive can hope to defeat Naruto. He's unbeatable-poyo. Invincible. Nothing short of Ala Rubra could challenge him now."

"Is that so?" Evangeline scowled.

"It is," Wilhelm smiled, reaching into his pocket, "Please, allow us to demonstrate the power that he has granted us…"

Before Wilhelm had even finished his sentence, Evangeline and Chachamaru had fallen into their own battle stances. With a smirk, Evangeline pulled out two vials of potions from the inside of her school vest. Poyo glared at her from across the roof, and reached into her own vest.

Evangeline motioned for them to come at her, "Please do."

* * *

><p>"K-Konoe-sama? What are you saying?" Setsuna stared at Naruto as if he had grown a second head. The boy seemed unfazed, however, with that constant smile that Setsuna was beginning to find ever-so irritating never even wavering in the slightest. Setsuna resisted the urge to cut that infuriating smile off his face as anger rushed through her at the insult of the most respectable man that Setsuna knew of. Setsuna growled, "Konoe-sama would never harm any of his students!"<p>

"Ah, but that's exactly my point, Set-chan! The old man would do anything if it meant protecting his students…_anything,_" Naruto smiled, "Of course, he never really saw me as a student as much as a threat. It's not that surprising really, now that I think about it…"

"What are you talking about? Answer me!" Setsuna glared, her hand reaching to the cloth that covered her sword.

"Hey, Set-chan, you can't be expecting me to drop all my secrets so soon after my debut, right?" Naruto chuckled, "After all, if this was the world of Weekly Shōnen Jump, I'd be the mysterious grey character that comes out of nowhere and changes everything up. Giving away the whole plot now would be so boring~!"

It was then that Setsuna began to notice the smaller details about Naruto—his voice, although it seemed to be constantly filled with a teasing, almost condescending-like bliss, held almost no genuine emotion. The trait was hidden nearly perfectly—so well, that only those who had trained in trying to read opponent's movements and subtle gestures like she had would pick up on them. His constant smile, which would appear to be just a mask to anyone else, she could now tell it wasn't fake—it was a genuine smile. It was no smile of happiness, however, as much as it was that of a grinning monster, about to reach out from the darkness of a child's room and grab his next meal.

For the first time in a long time, Setsuna was suddenly afraid.

Before she could respond, however, Naruto's eyebrows perked up and his smile drop ever-so slightly. He sighed and scratched the back of his head, "Geez, guys…I told you to try and keep a low profile…the old man's gonna be onto us for sure now! Well, can't be helped, I suppose. Excuse me for a second, Set-chan! I have some friends that are calling my name."

Naruto reached up and removed his sunglasses. Setsuna's eyes were immediately drawn onto his—a strange, ripple like pattern extended from the iris out to the corners of Naruto's eyes. The eye's color was a dull blue, almost grey, with each "ripple" in his eyes forming a solid dark ring. Naruto began to stare into space, as if lost in his own little world.

* * *

><p>Evangeline had first noted that something was very off about her opponents the second they had pulled out those small onyx-black rods. Her confusion only soared when the duo proceeded to stab the rods deeply into their own bodies—Wilhelm slamming his into his chest and Poyo into her left shoulder. Chachamaru was equally confused. Her sensors were picking up no traces of any magic or chi coming from the odd rods. However, neither Chachamaru nor Evangeline dared to lower their guards, especially after their opponent's eyes had changed to an odd ripple-like pattern. Wilhelm and Poyo froze with stony expressions, becoming almost robotic as their new eyes surveyed the area around them. Finally, their gaze fell upon Evangeline…and two stupid grins broke out on their faces.<p>

"Ah, Eva-chan! Long time no see! So, you're the reason these two knuckleheads used the receivers so soon, eh? Can't say I blame them! After all, they are facing the big and scary Dark Evangel-chan!" Wilhelm chuckled, before pointing to Chachamaru, "Ah, who's she, Eva-chan?"

"No, wait, don't tell me! If this were a romantic-comedy manga, she'd be the cute, stoic girl, wouldn't she? I always enjoyed those types of characters!" Poyo declared happily as she turned to Wilhelm, "Oh, hello me!"

Wilhelm laughed, "Good day, me! It's really weird when there's two of us like this, isn't it?"

"It is!"

"Ah, did you read this week's Shōnen Jump yet? The stores were all sold out!"

"If you didn't read it, and I'm you, how could I have read it?"

"Good point! I guess I wasn't thinking for a second there…or was it you that wasn't thinking?"

'_Insane or just plain stupid?' _Evangeline appraised her apparently bipolar opponents with a critical eye, giving a satisfactory nod when the two began a conversation about ramen, '_Definitely stupid.'_

"Master, should I alert Konoe-san? These two seem a bit deranged," Chachamaru spoke up from beside her. Evangeline snorted.

"Please, Chachamaru, don't belittle my power. Do you think these two flunkies are too much for me? They're one hundred years too early to—"

A few strands of Evangeline's hair flew into the air as she quickly dodged a large blade that had threatened to slice her in two. Glaring across the roof, she found the grinning face of Wilhelm, a mocking expression stretched across his face. He wagged his finger at Evangeline tauntingly as he waved a large, serrated-saw like blade that was now extending out of his wrist in the air. The blade, which had extended out to Evangeline, retracted back from where it had shot out like lightning previously.

"Don't be rude now, Eva-chan. You shouldn't just ignore me after I've been gone for so long. Or maybe you forgot about me too? Maybe you just don't recognize me? It's me—Naruto," Wilhelm—rather, Naruto, smiled. Evangeline scowled as a look of realization dawned in her eyes.

"I see…so, is this your great power that your lackeys were going on about? You can control their bodies? Not impressive," Evangeline muttered. Naruto laughed, casting a glance to Poyo's form.

"Ah, but you haven't seen the friend I brought out…"

"What are you—"

"Master, duck!" Chachamaru cried as she pulled her master to the ground. Just as she did, a large and powerful tongue shot out of the air, swinging in a horizontal motion and slamming into the railing of the roof, ripping it from the concrete and sending it careening off the top of the building. For a split second, some type of large lizard the size of a small house appeared in the corner of the roof, revealing that it had been its tongue that had attacked. The tongue retracted and, as it did, the body of Poyo leapt onto it, disappearing with the tongue when it had finally retracted completely and the lizard's mouth had closed down, becoming invisible once more.

"I apologize for shoving you, Master, however, a large invisible creature is visible on my thermal scanners. It appears to be some sort of chameleon," Chachamaru explained as she helped her master up. Naruto smiled at the confused looks that Evangeline and Chachamaru were shooting him.

"A brief demonstration," Naruto spoke, "Of two of my 'paths', Asura and Animal. Please don't take me lightly anymore, Eva-chan. I'm not the same person you used to know."

Evangeline smirked, "Clearly…I was holding back because I wanted to see what you could do now. Not too shabby, brat, I'll say that, but is that all you can do?"

"Just the tip of the iceberg," Naruto chuckled.

"Then this might be interesting," Evangeline grinned, "Chachamaru, don't hold back. You'd better not disappoint me, brat."

Naruto laughed, "I wouldn't dream of it, Eva-chan!"

"I have a better idea. How about we stop this now and not destroy my school and harm my students? As the guardian, I expect you to be a bit more protective of the school grounds, Evangeline. As for you, if you are Naruto-san, then I would appreciate it if my students didn't cause fights. It might get you expelled."

The chameleon appeared once more before vanishing in a plume of smoke. Poyo stepped out from the smoke and onto the corner of the roof to glare at the new arrival—Konoemon Konoe. While Evangeline muttered a curse under her breath and Chachamaru stood from her fighting position, Naruto grinned.

"Ah, yes. We wouldn't want me to get expelled, would we?" Naruto spoke casually, "I know I'm a favorite of yours. Set-chan was very happy to see me again, so I shouldn't get expelled so soon. I wonder if Kono-chan will have the same reaction."

"Are you accusing me of something?" Konoemon met Naruto's gaze.

"Maybe I am? What do you think, Taka-chan?" Naruto's eyes traveled to Poyo's form. Behind her, Takamichi T. Takahata appeared. Poyo's body never so much as flinched.

"Please don't call me that, Naruto-san. I am, after all, a sensei," Takahata adjusted is glasses.

"Well, as tear-jerking as this reunion has been, if nothing else of interest is going to happen, I'll be taking my leave," Evangeline announced, making her way to the door and motioning for Chachamaru to follow. Naruto waved them goodbye.

"My offer is still on the table anytime, Eva-chan!" Naruto called before turning to Konoemon, "So…I'm back."

"I can see that," Konoemon commented, "Is there a reason you didn't return when I sent for you two years ago?"

"I was busy."

"Of course you were," Takamichi frowned, stepping forward, "We received a report that a demon convicted and captured during an attack on a small village in the west was stolen and likely freed from its confines about two years ago as well."

"Hold on a second, Taka-chan. There are probably more crimes than I can count that occurred in the last two years—am I to be blamed for all of them as well?" Naruto tilted his head curiously, his grin never leaving his face.

"I'm sorry, Naruto-san, but it's hard to avoid the topic when you're controlling the body of said demon as we speak," Takahata pointed out. Naruto raised his hands, looking at them as if he had only just remembered whose body he was in, and laughed.

"Well, that's—"

"And if I am not mistaken, that is the body of a princess from the demon realm that went missing one year ago. Yes, you certainly have been busy. Is there anyone else you're controlling that we should know about?" Konoemon interrupted, hitching a thumb towards Poyo.

"Controlling is such a harsh word. I prefer to see it as an exchange. They give me their bodies and I give them power. It's a two-way deal. As for the others I am controlling, would it surprise you that over half of your student body population is already taking orders from me?" Naruto's grin threatened to split his face. A look of pure rage instantly overcame Takahata's face and he launched himself forward. He was stopped, of course, when Konoemon held out his hand.

"It is funny, Naruto. After knowing you for so long, I am beginning to be able to tell when you are lying and when you aren't. It seems that even a great liar such as you has some tells," Konoemon spoke, "So, I am assuming that these two are the only ones you have control over, then. You have certainly given them interesting abilities, but three people are not an army, especially when I am about to crush two of them."

"As feisty as ever, aren't you, Konoe? Any threat to your students gets completely blown away by you!" Naruto commented, "However, I believe that we find ourselves in the same predicament we were in last time. By all means, you can try and kill my friends here. They don't have all of my abilities, so you will probably beat them outright. However, how many of your students will be harmed in the process? I'll remind you, I'm not as slow as you might hope and if that's not enough, you should also keep in mind that my real body is currently on a train filled with your students, including your granddaughter, Negi-chan, and Asuna-chan. You said you could tell when I'm lying, right? Well then, you should know this is the truth—I am willing to kill your students to protect the lives of my associates here. Let them walk and nothing will befall your students. Fight and I promise you that there will be a body count."

Takahata looked to Konoemon with unsure eyes, waiting for Konoemon to decide their next move. Konoemon glared at Naruto. Naruto simply kept smiling. Silence fell upon the rooftop as the two sized each other up, threatening each other silently.

"…Déjà vu can be a cruel feeling, it seems. You seem to enjoy twisting my arm, Naruto," Konoemon frowned, "You seem to enjoy being a coward."

"You know what I hate about manga today? The villains get so caught up in their own little schemes that when things go south, they forget to simply take the easy way out and end up fighting to the bitter end when they should run to fight another day. I'm not a hero, so I'm not going to act like one. I won't be the 'nobler than thou' idiot who falls for every trap and walks into a situation without holding all the cards. You say I'm a coward? I say that I'm just not an idiot," Naruto spoke.

"And I suppose that you won't tell me what you're after?" Konoemon questioned.

"I believe I told you that a long time ago."

"Of course you did. Takahata-kun will escort your friends off the premises. As long as they go quietly, no harm shall come to them. If they ever return to Mahora without my consent, you will find me to be far less flexible on this matter. Please remember that," Konoemon frowned, motioning for Takahata to do as spoken. Poyo crossed the roof and stood next to Wilhelm as the two pulled out the rods that they had stabbed into themselves and pocketed them.

"It seems that Naruto-dono is amused," Wilhelm smiled as his ruby-red eyes returned, "It appears as though Kyoto will be an enjoyable trip for him."

"Oh? And why is that?" Konoemon questioned, uncaring of the change of personality that the two strangers went through. Takahata motioned for the two to follow him down the main entrance of the building they were in. All four made towards the door.

"Because," Poyo began, "It looks like Kyoto is about to be engulfed in flames."

* * *

><p>"Yo! Nice to meet everyone! My name is Naruto—no surname, currently single, and from today on, please consider me the main character! Greetings to all you unimportant side characters! Let's be friends!"<p>

Naruto stood with his ever-present grin on his face, waving his hand high in the air at the group of stunned 3-A students. Negi, knowing exactly what was coming, began to inch backwards step by step, not wanting to be caught up in the stampede that was about to ensue. Sure enough, mere seconds later, the 3-A girls were on Naruto like a lion pouncing on its prey.

"Are you really going to be in our class? You're a guy, after all!"

"Yep, I'm the thirty-second student. I'm also the main villain. Please take care of me."

"Hey, where are you from?"

"I'm from a destroyed country on a hidden continent in a magical world on Mars."

"What's up with your eyes?"

"Ah, I forgot to put my shades back on. Well, my eyes are actually called the "Rinnegan", a powerful tool that are supposedly the eyes of a god."

The few that weren't crowding around him—people such as Negi, Chamo, Setsuna, Asuna—nearly face-faulted as each answer got progressively weirder and weirder.

'_No matter how you look at it, isn't he obviously lying to everyone?'_ was the collective thought that rang out among the group.

Negi sighed. They had yet to even leave the train station, and already this trip was starting to get out of hand. First, a bunch of frogs had appeared out of nowhere and caused a panic on the train. Then, a bird that had also appeared out of nowhere nearly stole the letter that he was tasked with delivering. Now, it was looking as though Setsuna-san might be a spy for the Kansai Magical Association and his weird new student seemed to be a new handful all together.

Clapping his hands, Negi drew the attention of his class, "Alright, everybody! Let's make sure that we're with our groups and that we're on our best behavior while we're here. Before we head to the hotel, we'll be making some stops as a class, so please enjoy this time together!"

After a quick cheer, everyone stuck to their individual groups as they made their way out of the station. Setsuna, Zazie, and Naruto stayed toward the back of the crowd, with Zazie a good few feet ahead of Naruto and Setsuna. As they walked, Setsuna cast a suspicious glance at Naruto.

"Naruto-san," Setsuna whispered.

"Hm? What's up, Sec-chan?" Naruto blinked, his sunglasses resting over his eyes.

"Just now, you mentioned something about a magical world…"

"Did I? You must've been hearing things, Set-chan," Naruto smiled, "Besides, if I had to choose a world to live in, I would much rather live in the world of Dragon Quest V. I would finally get to meet my beloved Bianca-chan~!"

"…Right. I guess I was just hearing things," Setsuna nodded. Naruto grinned.

"Well, don't worry about it, Set-chan! We're in Kyoto! Let's just relax and have some fun!"

* * *

><p>"…Naruto-san. You're a new student. I understand that the first day can be troubling, that you must be nervous and sometimes, when we're nervous, we can't help our actions. But please, please, <em>please <em>try not to cause any more trouble while we're here!" Negi all but begged his student on his knees. Naruto blinked curiously, tilting his head.

"Eh? What did I do, Negi-chan?"

While the rest of his class had their focus on the site before them, Negi stood with Naruto off to the side. Currently, they stood before the Otowa Waterfall, a spring famous for its water, which was said to bring luck in health, love, and career. It hadn't been long into their trip that Negi had begun to suspect foul play from the Kansai Magical Association, particularly when two of his students, Ayaka Yukihiro and Makie Sasaki, had just fallen into a pitfall moments ago. Looking back, he now suspected the Kansai Magical Association to be behind the incidents on the train. He would be sure to look out for any more of their tricks…just after he took care of the new problem that was Naruto. Negi sighed as he began to list off the things Naruto had done so far.

"You leapt off of the Kiyomizu Stage and nearly plummeted to your death."

"Nope, I attempted to jump off the stage. You caught me. Besides, if I had lived, I supposedly would have had my wish come true! Totally worth the risk. I should be the one upset with you for ruining my chances! But I forgive you, Negi-chan!"

"You tried to bury Makie-san and Ayaka-san alive when they fell into that pitfall trap."

"But we're on vacation! Don't people bury each other all the time when they go to the beach? What's the difference?"

"Naruto-san, please, I'm begging you! Just don't cause any more trouble!"

"Alright, alright, relax, Negi-chan," Naruto chuckled, "If it makes you feel better, then I promise I won't cause any more trouble while I am here. Besides, what else could possibly go wrong?"

"Ah, Negi-sensei," Yue's voice chimed, "I think the class is drunk."

Negi slammed his head into the ground as he face-faulted, Naruto's boisterous laughter accompanying him.

* * *

><p>"We're being targeted by some weird magical organization?" Asuna gasped, giving Negi a worried look. The two of them sat in a secluded corner of the lobby of the hotel that their class was booked to stay at for the duration of the trip. Negi had decided that it would be best to get the students who were affected by the Kansai Magical Association's alcoholic trap at the falls to bed quickly, not only for their sakes but to also ensure that the trip was not canceled. It had been about half an hour since they had arrived at the hotel, and Negi had yet to come up with a plan on how to deal with his new opponents. The only thing he could possibly think of was to ask Asuna for her help once more.<p>

"Their called the Kansai Magical Association. According to Konoe-sama, they've been at odds with Mahora and all of the Kanto Magical Association," Negi explained, "It looks like at least a few of them aren't happy that we're taking a trip over here."

"I thought something was funny about all the mishaps today. So, it's another disaster involving magic, is it?" Asuna sighed.

"I'm sorry, Asuna-san, but I have to ask for your help again," Negi frowned, shooting Asuna a pleading look.

Asuna offered a reassuring smile, "No problem. I'll help out for a bit, so don't sweat it."

"Excellent! To start things off, please tell us everything you know about that Setsuna chick!" Chamo declared, "That girl is definitely a spy for those Kansai bastards!"

"Eh? Sakurazaki-san is a spy? W-Well, the only thing I really know about her is that I hear she used to be a childhood friend of Konoka's, but I'm not even sure if that's true. They never talk or anything," Asuna commented.

"Eh? Konoka-chan's friend? H-Hey, Aniki, isn't Konoka originally from…" Chamo leapt into Negi's bag and began to fish around. Finally, he reemerged, dragging the class roster with him. Opening it and flipping the pages, Chamo pointed an accusing finger at Setsuna's picture, "_Aha! _See? It says right here—Kyoto Shinmeiryuu! She's totally a spy!"

Negi and Asuna looked to where he was pointing. Sure enough, written directly under Setsuna's picture were the words Kyoto Shinmeiryuu. Before they could discuss this further however, Shizuna appeared and informed Negi and Asuna that the reserved onsen time for the staff members was going to pass soon. Asuna sent Negi to the baths, promising to talk about it later. Neither ever noticed the pair of eyes watching them from across the room.

Naruto sat up from the couch in the lobby, stretching and stifling a yawn as he did, "Such distrusting classmates I have…well, 'tis youth these days…always thinking they know everything. But here I am sounding like an old man! Not very cool of me, is it~? Well, what do you two think?"

"Personally, I think that old men can be cool at times-de gozaru."

"But this isn't one of those times."

The click of a freshly-cocked gun and the sensation of cold steel pressing against his neck told Naruto that turning around was likely not the best option right now. Behind him, his fellow classmates Kaede Nagase and Mana Tatsumiya appraised him with careful eyes. Despite the seriousness of his situation, Naruto's form was as relaxed as ever—he hadn't even twitched as they pressed a kunai and gun to his neck.

"Picking on the new kid is a bit cliché, ain't it? Of course, as the main character, I will have to train really hard to defeat the two of you. Then we'll obtain a mutual respect for each other and eventually become friends. That's how it works, right, girls?" Naruto questioned, "So…to what do I owe the pleasure of such lovely young ladies coming up to me? I said I was single before, right?"

"Konoe-sama has informed us of some rather peculiar abilities that you have," Kaede commented, "So we thought that we'd stop by and see if you were using those abilities for anything naughty."

"The fact that the old man has offered a hefty payment to keep an eye on you also helps," Mana added, her cold, calculating eyes staring down the barrel of her handgun.

"I see…" Naruto murmured, "And am I doing anything naughty?"

"Are you-de gozaru?"

"Nothing that I can think of. So, are we just going to stand like this all night or should I take this as an invitation to try something 'naughty' with the two of you?"

"Flirting with someone poised to kill you isn't exactly the wisest move," Mana snorted.

"Hey, what can I say? I'm not one to let a good opportunity pass by without trying. Especially when it involves such lovely young ladies," Naruto chuckled, "…Did flattery score me any points or should I try again?"

"Haven't you heard that flattery gets you nowhere?" Kaede laughed, lowering her blade, "But I appreciate the compliment."

"I've seen enough," Mana muttered, lowering her gun, "The old man's losing it if he thinks you're a serious threat."

"So, is this going to be a daily thing or what?" Naruto turned to face his classmates, a sly grin on his face, "We could have these meetings in a nicer setting, you know? Over coffee or a moonlit stroll along the beach…I'd be fine with either."

"I wouldn't. I'm leaving, Kaede. He's all yours," Mana sighed, turning and walking out of the lobby, ignoring Naruto's friendly wave. Kaede giggled as she watched Naruto's failed flirting attempts with Mana. Whether he was a threat or not, Kaede had to admit he was at the very least one of the more interesting people she had met in awhile. Naruto turned to Kaede with a defeated smile on his face.

"Guess that would be a no, huh? Don't suppose I can interest you?" Naruto asked. Kaede laughed loudly, shaking her head. Naruto sighed, "And so my quest to find a girlfriend continues…so, what can I do for you this lovely night, my dear?"

"I'm Nagase Kaede and she was Tatsumiya Mana—just thought I'd introduce ourselves, since it seems like we'll be seeing each other quite a bit from now on-de gozaru," Kaede smiled, offering a wave goodbye, "Please keep in mind that we'll be watching you from now on, so try not to get into too much trouble."

"Trouble? Kaede-chan, I wouldn't dream of it~!" Naruto grinned, returning the wave. With one last laugh, Kaede disappeared out of the room. Naruto stared at the space where she once stood before a large crash resonated from the just outside the front doors. Naruto casually walked over to the window and peeked outside just in time to witness what appeared to be a large monkey running off with an unconscious Konoka, with Asuna, Negi, and Setsuna giving chase. Naruto hummed in thought before giving off a devilish smirk.

'_Time to do a little bit of talent scouting…'_

* * *

><p>'<em>Is this the best they have?' <em>Naruto sighed in disappointment as he looked down at the scene playing out before him from atop one of the many high, almost-skyscraper tall buildings. Beneath him on a small plaza, one of the most pathetic fights he had seen in awhile was playing out. From what he could gather from the rather short chase that had ensued moments ago, some woman by the name of Chigusa had kidnapped Konoka for insert-whatever-reason here. After falling for a number of her traps and nearly managing to drown themselves in the process, the trio had finally managed to catch up to the woman, but were finding themselves hard-pressed to defeat her summons—a big monkey and an equally big teddy bear with some sharp claws. While Asuna and Negi struggled with the summons, Setsuna was currently facing off against another Shinmeiryuu who appeared to be working with Chigusa.

'_Hm…Setsuna is a gem in the works, but she'll need a lot of polishing. Asuna-chan has an interesting weapon, too…but it's not like Asuna would actually work with me. Neither would Setsuna, for that matter, especially since she can't remember me. I should probably check to see if anyone else remembers me…' _Naruto scored them off individually as he watched the battle with a bored look on his face, _'Negi is pathetic—what kind of mage is he? He let that entire chase happen when he has long-range spells and the ability to fly with that stick of his. He has no natural instinct or skill for combat. He's useless.'_

His eyes watched with mild amusement as Setsuna and the other Shinmeiryuu—Tsukuyomi, apparently—engaged in swordplay. More miniature monkey summons began to antagonize Asuna while she tried to fight the large bear as a small group of the monkeys began to carry Konoka off, giving Chigusa the opportunity she needed to begin her escape once more.

'_Interesting technique…Shinmeiryuu, eh? I'll have to get Wilhelm to look into that Tsukuyomi girl. As for Chigusa, she is nothing special. In fact, none of her skills seem to break average,' _Naruto frowned. Quickly becoming bored again, Naruto watched as Chigusa insulted Konoka and explained how she would control the girl with magic and drugs—a mistake, judging from the outraged looks on the faces of the trio.

"Don't you _**dare **_touch Ojou-sama!"

"Put Konoka down _**now**_!"

"_Flans Exarmatio!"_

Both Asuna and Setsuna charged past their opponents and, with Chigusa caught off-guard by a well-placed minor spell from Negi, the two slammed their attacks onto her, knocking both her and Konoka into the air. Setsuna caught Konoka mid-air while Chigusa and Tsukuyomi escaped, Negi and Asuna forgetting about their opponents and rushing to Konoka's side—an overall happy-ending-like scenario.

'_How boring. I didn't even get to see anyone pushed to their limits…' _Naruto sighed, "So, if this Chigusa won't serve as an adequate test of their skills, I guess the job falls on me to do so. How annoying—what's a good test? I could just summon Wilhelm here, but he might be in the middle of something…I guess I could jump down and fight them myself, but I don't want to reveal myself just yet…ah, I know! How about a classic? One giant enemy crab coming right up~!"

Slamming his hand down on the roof of the building he stood on, a large plume of smoke appeared. When it dissipated in the high winds of the tall building, standing there was a crustacean the size of a large house and two razor-sharp claws the size of trucks, with a stark red, armor-like shell covering it and a hardened, steel-like white underbelly. Numerous black rods poked out along the crab's back and it shared Naruto's Rinnegan eyes. Silently, the crab crawled over to the edge of the building. Naruto cast a glance downward—the trio was still checking on Konoka.

The monstrous summon didn't hesitate in the slightest as its six powerful legs scurried and leapt of the building, plummeting downward towards its unsuspecting prey. Naruto grinned as he sat on the edge of the building, content to watch how the scene would play out.

'_Put on a good show, guys,' _Naruto chuckled, _'I don't want to be disappointed, so don't any of you go dying on me just yet.'_

* * *

><p>Alright, so this was the first chapter of my first story! I would really appreciate any feedback that you guys might have or anything like that. To keep the updates around this length and because I'm really busy, I'll try to update this story at least once a month, if not more. Naruto's personality is based off Misogi Kumagawa, one of my favorite characters ever, but his abilities and back-story are going to be completely different. Please remember to leave a review! I'll see you next time, guys!<p> 


	2. Kyoto in Flames: Street Fighter

Negi really wasn't sure what was happening. For a moment, everything was calm—Konoka was rescued and smiling happily in Setsuna's arms, and he and Asuna stood off to the side, smiling and completely unharmed. Everything was right…

That all changed as a sensation of dread entered the pit of his stomach. His adrenalin came rushing back in a fiery burn as a loud and terrible crash sounded behind him, a strong gust from the impact of who-knows-what's fall carried the broken bricks and dust of the plaza out around the area.

Asuna was quicker than any of them—she twirled around and got the first eyeful of the sudden arrival. That's why she was the first to cry out in both surprise and fear. As the others followed her gaze, they quickly found themselves face-to-face with two very red and very large claws reaching out of the dust and dirt that was kicked up by the impact.

It took them a second longer to realize that the claws were outstretched and headed towards them—fast.

They spent yet another second leaping out of the way, trying to make a mad scramble to the safety of anywhere but where they stood. The claws cracked against the ground where they once stood, shattering the earth like glass as the group looked on in shock. Before the blanket of air-scattered debris fully cleared, a powerful torrent of frothy water shot out of the dust, looking to strike down on the flabbergasted Negi. Negi's eyes widened as both his mind and the voice of Chamo screamed at him to move—his legs would not obey, however.

'…_T-Th…T-This feeling is…' _Negi couldn't manage to finish his thought as he could only helplessly stare at the incoming water.

A strong and forceful tug at the back of his clothes got him to safety just as the torrent came down upon the ground where he stood, cutting through it cleanly and deeply. Turning his head over his shoulder, Negi saw the startled Asuna, who gave him a worried look in return.

"Y-You idiot! What are you thinking? If you're about to get hit, you have to dodge!" Asuna shouted angrily.

'_Asuna…can't she feel it?' _Negi looked to Setsuna, who was trembling from her position a few yards away from them. Konoka was out cold in her arms, clearly from the surprise and stressful events she had gone through that night. Negi could see it clearly in her eyes, despite her angry glare—Setsuna did not want to fight whatever was attacking them. Not one bit. She, like he did, felt it. She, like he was, was afraid.

'_I-Is this…killing intent?' _Negi briefly wondered as the dust and dirt began to clear, _'No. Evangeline-san had killing intent. This is different. This doesn't just want to kill us…it wants to completely devour our very existence.'_

Finally, the crustacean was in plain view for all to see. Still, it did not stand still long enough for the group to appraise its finer details—it quickly scuttled towards the group, its mouth frothing furiously and its claws snapping. Before Negi could even register the movement, he felt himself be snatched up by Asuna again as she quickly ran out of range of the attack.

"Negi, I don't know what's wrong with you, but focus!" Asuna called out as she ran to the side of the crab, out of its immediate targeting area, "If you're scared…then do you think that you're the only one? Setsuna…how do you think she feels, carrying Konoka in her arms right now? How do you think Chamo feels, when he can't do anything but give advice? How do you think I feel, when I have no idea what that thing's capable of? We're all scared, but you can't just sit there and let that thing win! You're our sensei, damn it, so snap out of it and think of something!"

"…Please put me down, Asuna-san."

"Eh?" Asuna took her eyes off the crab and glanced down at Negi. He was glaring at the crab with eyes full of determination. She grinned, "Well, it's about time."

Setsuna, meanwhile, was busily dodging the crab's claws, both of which it was thrusting at her with gusto. She snarled in anger at the beast, as its eyes mocked her—it knew as well as she did how little she could do to retaliate with Konoka in her arms.

'_This thing is intelligent. It's picking off what if feels is the weakest link first—Ojou-sama!' _Setsuna growled as she jumped away from another strike.

Her eyes widened as she saw one of its legs shoot out, poised to lob her head clean off. Quickly, moving only by reflex, Setsuna maneuvered Konoka into one arm while her other hand shot to her sword. She parried the blow with one of her own, only to find herself vastly overpowered. The audible crack of her blade as it snapped in two sounded in her ears as the large appendage slammed into the side of her head, sending both her and Konoka flying into the air. Both girls hit the ground hard, yards away as the crab snipped its claws in delight.

Turning to its other foes, the crab was met with a surging attack flying towards it, which it quickly put to rest with another torrent of water. When it searched for the source of the attack, it quickly found a seething Negi and Asuna. Asuna rushed towards the crab with her fan drawn, sliding under a swipe from its claws to get beneath its belly.

Immediately, she began to slam the fan into the armored stomach of the beast, only to be left with confusion at her obvious lack of an effect.

'_But it worked on the rest of that lady's summons, so why not this one?' _Asuna roared mentally, her frustration growing as she continued in vain to swipe at the monster.

Negi continued to fire shot after shot of his magical blasts, but found the few that actually did manage to get through did nothing much but leave insignificant scratches so light that he doubted the beast even noticed them. He frowned, "This thing doesn't have a weakness!"

"Aniki, incoming! The left, the left!" Chamo warned.

Negi immediately ducked down as a large claw flew from the left, over his head, and cut into the ground like it was made of butter. Negi's head shot back up afterwards, "_Flans Exarmatio_!"

The attack struck the back of the creature, but did about as much as any of his previous attacks. Suddenly, the crab ceased its attacks tucked in its arms, much to the confusion of Asuna and Negi. Its legs stopped scuttling around and it stopped moving entirely. It froze there, the froth from its mouth no longer trickling out and its strange eyes focused on nothing in particular, staring into the air blankly.

Silence reigned over the make-shift battlefield.

Asuna refused to take her eyes off of it, "D…Did we win?"

"I don't know…" Negi also refused to lower his guard, fighting the urge to run and check on Setsuna and Konoka.

Chamo studied the monster carefully—its eyes were frozen, its claws were frozen, and its mouth was frozen…

'_Is it tired?' _Chamo wondered, _'It was moving so fast a second ago…what happened to all of its energy? Where did it g—crap!'_

Chamo's eyes looked in horror at the slight trembling of the crab's legs, far too unnoticeable for the exhausted Negi and Asuna to pick up on, "Everyone, move! It's not done, it's about to—"

Before Chamo could finish his warning, Asuna and Negi were caught off guard as the crab leapt up. Asuna was knocked back by the force of the crab's jump alone—it leapt high into the air, higher than something of that size should be able to go. It hung in the air for a moment as it reached the peak of its height—at least it seemed to, for the stunned group below. Without warning, however, it shifted violently to glare down at them and opened its mouth wide.

Negi heard a loud rumbling before a stinging, powerful, and wet pain struck him and launched him into the air. He felt it hit him again, the torrent hitting him square in the gut as he felt the air leave his lungs. The water continued to rain down upon him as he crashed into the stony plaza below him with a sickening crack.

"Ne—gah!"

Negi was in too much pain to move, but not enough to miss the startled scream of Asuna as she too was hit by the water. In the same manner that Negi was, she was knocked into the air. In the same manner that Negi did, she hit the ground—hard. The entire group lay still, gasping for air and groaning in pain. They didn't need to look to know what was coming as they felt the shattering quake from something large landing on the plaza.

Weakly, Negi lifted his head to glance the area around him.

Konoka was out cold and was the furthest up the road, her frail form sprawled out on the ground.

Setsuna was a few feet away from her, also sprawled out, but with her forehead bleeding profusely and her broken sword besides her.

Further down the road was Asuna, groaning in pain as she clutched her stomach. Her weapon lay forgotten next to her as she violently coughed up saliva and blood.

Chamo was next to his own head, out cold but otherwise miraculously untouched.

As for himself, Negi had lost feeling in one of his legs and his chest seared with such pain that he knew he must have broken some ribs. Blood dribbled down his chin from both his forehead and mouth as he stared in fear at the giant crustacean that had moved to hover over him since its landing. Its eyes were hauntingly familiar as they stared down at him with no emotion whatsoever.

An eternity passed between Negi and the beast, just staring at each other.

Finally, the victor opened its mouth and Negi gently shut his eyes, bracing himself for whatever came next with trembling fear.

"**Pathetic."**

Negi blinked in confusion as his eyes snapped open. Gone was the crustacean, replaced by a simple and harmless puff of smoke. His mind wracked with questions and confusion, his body wracked with pain—Negi could do nothing else but allow consciousness to leave him as he heard the sound of approaching footsteps.

Naruto surveyed the scene with his ever-present smile and uncaring eyes. He walked down the plaza, stopping briefly at Negi. Wordlessly, he nudged the boy's head with his foot. Getting a slight groan, he moved on with a sigh.

"I was hoping for some fun…but I guess I was expecting too much, even though I held back so much," Naruto sighed, shaking his head and shrugging his arms, "Be thankful I'm benevolent, otherwise I would leave you all here to rot for showing me such a pitiful performance. As for you, Negi-chan…be thankful that you're more useful to me alive than dead."

Naruto kneeled down and slammed his hand onto the ground. In another poof of smoke, a large brown bird appeared. The bird stood silently on its three crooked legs, with its three large wings folded neatly against its frame. Towards the base of its neck were two large black rods and it shared the same Rinnegan eyes Naruto had. Its most prominent feature was the jagged and large beak it sported, which was almost as tall as the bird itself.

Naruto unceremoniously tossed the bodies of Negi, Chamo, Asuna, and Setsuna onto the bird's back. Silently, without orders, it picked itself up into the air and flew off in the direction of the hotel. Naruto watched it disappear for a moment before turning around. Silently, he walked over to the prone form of Konoka and stared down at her.

"Kono-chan…I suppose you won't remember me either. A shame, but it's for the best," Naruto muttered, his smile stretching thin as he kneeled down and lifting her up gingerly. Carrying the girl bridal-style, Naruto turned and began his trek back to the hotel, "I suppose this means the promise the three of us made, then, is null and void."

* * *

><p>With a gasp, Negi shot up, one hand flat against the floor to keep his balance while the other lay over his rapidly beating heart, his breath heavy and a cold sweat covering his body as if he had just awoken from a terrible, terrible nightmare. Daring to remove his hand from his chest, Negi quickly felt the rest of his body—no bruises, no cuts, no broken bones. His frantic eyes searched his surroundings. He was back in his hotel room, without an object out of place. He was lying in his futon, with an equally unhurt Chamo curled into a ball next to him, as his alarm clock quietly buzzed off its usual greeting.<p>

'_How did I make it back here? I should still be back at the plaza,' _Negi frowned, _'And I should be hurt. On that note, where are the others? Are they alright?'_

"Yo, Negi-chan, you shouldn't sleep in so much—it's unsightly for a teacher. Try to be a bit more of an example for your students, okay?"

Negi leapt up in a mix of fright and surprise, tumbling out of his covers and twirling around to find himself face-to-face with a very familiar smile, "N-Naruto-san! What are you doing in my room?"

"You weren't there when everyone went to breakfast, so I came to check up on you, Negi-chan! You should lock your door at night," Naruto laughed, "Otherwise the Namahage will get you for sure with how late you sleep~!"

Negi stared at Naruto for a moment, completely bewildered by his strange student's actions.

Naruto grinned and patted Negi on the head, "Oi, you look like you've seen a ghost, Negi-chan~! I told you breakfast is on, right? C'mon, Set-chan and the others are waiting."

"S-Setsuna-san?" Negi's eyes widened with realization as he leaned forward, his form wracked with worry, "How is she? How are Konoka-san and Asuna-san?"

Naruto blinked, his smile drooping slightly from confusion, "Eh? Alright, I guess. I think Set-chan is a little grumpier today than most, but other than that..."

Negi gripped Naruto's wrist and stared him in the eye—or at least tried to, with his view obscured by Naruto's sunglasses, "Are they hurt?"

Naruto closed his eyes as his grin settled into a thin smile. He wrest his arm free from Negi's hold as if the child's touch had burned him.

"…I said they were fine."

'_Then, maybe…was it all just a bad dream?' _Negi, too caught up in his relief, paid no attention to his student's actions, and instead sighed loudly and fell back in his futon, "Thank goodness…"

Silence reigned in the room, with both boys being unmoving. A few minutes ticked by on Negi's alarm clock as Negi stared at the ceiling and Naruto stared at Negi. Finally, Naruto sighed lightly and stood from his crouching position, dusting off his pants as he moved. Turning and moving silently to the door, Naruto opened it and stepped into the frame, pausing for a moment.

"I'll be heading down then, Negi-chan, but before I go, I feel like I have to ask…" Naruto spoke without looking back or even turning his head slightly, "Is there any reason why those three would be hurt in any way?"

Negi stiffened as he realized his mistake and he frantically looked to Naruto's back as he scrambled for an excuse, "O-Oh! U-Um…I…you see, I was told that they weren't feeling well at dinner last night! I just wanted to make sure they hadn't gotten sick in the middle of the night!"

"…I see. I hadn't noticed Set-chan was feeling bad. What a horrible friend I am~!" Naruto cried dramatically, holding a hand to his forehead and grasping the door frame for support as he slumped downward in mock-despair, "I'll have to go to her at once and check to make sure she is healthy! Make sure to make it down before the groups leave for the day, Negi-chan!"

"I-I will, Naruto-san," Negi mumbled in both relief and exhaustion from his student's overreactions. Negi tossed his covers to the side and moved towards his suitcase to pick his clothes out for the day as Naruto hung in the doorway for a few more seconds.

"Oh, and Negi-chan?"

"Yes, Naruto-san?"

"Do you know the one thing that a hero should never do in Weekly Shōnen Jump? Actually, in any matter, now that I think about it~! There's just one little thing that every hero knows not to do~!" Naruto called, "Do you want to know what it is, Negi-chan~?"

Negi nodded half-heatedly as he pulled out a shirt, deciding that it would be best to humor his bizarre student's quirks, "Sure, Naruto-san."

"**Don't insult the main villain's intelligence."**

The shirt that was in Negi's hands dropped to the floor as he quickly whirled around to face Naruto. The doorway was empty, the door still ajar as the sound of footsteps echoing down an empty hall rang into the room. For a split second, a familiar echo sounded in his head, bringing back the fear he had felt night.

"_**Pathetic."**_

Negi calmed his beating heart and ignored the chill that went down his spine, mentally slapping himself for being so silly and deciding that whatever had just happened was just the sum of a bad night's sleep and his overactive imagination.

"I'm letting this Kyoto business get to me a bit too much," Negi mumbled, double-checking the letter that was packed away in his suitcase for safekeeping, _'Naruto-san maybe weird, but it's nothing to be wary about. I should just focus on my task at hand.'_

* * *

><p>"Set-chan, Set-chan~! Show me where you're injured! I demand to see right now!"<p>

"W-What are you talking about, i-idiot? H-Hey, don't just grab me like that!"

"Is it here? Or here? Ah, it's definitely under here isn't it?"

"H-Hey, t-that's my—kyaa!"

A loud slap resonated in the large room, though it was largely drowned out by the chatter and gossip of the other students as they picked away at the breakfast the hotel had provided for them. In the far corner of the room rested the most secluded table and at that table sat three individuals. Zazie Rainyday sat opposite of the blushing Setsuna who was now fixing her skirt and the still-grinning Naruto who was now nursing his cheek, which had a very noticeable and red handprint on it. As the two bickered—well, it was more like Setsuna was bickering and Naruto was happily enjoying the conversation—Zazie quietly chewed on some rice. She had such weird group members…

"How cold of you, Set-chan. A childhood friend tries to check on your health, and you slap him…" Naruto sighed, "My Bianca-chan was never this cruel to me."

"What friend tries to peek up another friend's skirt?" Setsuna growled angrily, "You're just a pervert!"

"If I was a pervert, wouldn't I be asking what color your panties are?" Naruto smiled, "…I'm going to guess a pure white, by the way."

Another slap sounded around the room, this time much louder. A few heads were pulled from their conversations and turned to see Setsuna, red in the face from anger and embarrassment, storming away from her table and the new kid sprawled out on the floor, nursing two slap-marks on his face. With a light groan, Naruto sat back up and picked up his chopsticks.

"That just means I guessed right," Naruto muttered to himself as he began his meal.

Zazie stared at him, "…"

"Hm? Oh, no—I knew she wasn't hurt at all in the first place, but one does not pass up such a good flag event after so many hours of visual novels," Naruto stated sagely.

"…"

"You say pervert—I say a healthy, normal teenage boy."

Setsuna muttered curses under her breath as she took another seat at the opposite side of the room. She set down her food and began to eat in silence, hoping to calm herself. Sighing, she tried to focus her mind on more pressing matters. She took the quick second to glance over to Negi's table—currently, he was being swarmed by his students, each begging him to accompany them on their trips today. Holding down a giggle, Setsuna delved into her thoughts as her hand subconsciously ran over the ground next to her where she would normally have set her sword aside. The blade now lay in two pieces in her room, though how it happened was a mystery to her.

'_Why can't I remember much of last night? The last thing I can recall is saving Ojou-sama from that lady, but after that…' _Setsuna frowned in annoyance, _'I should see what Negi-sensei and Asuna-san remember. If I woke up unhurt, I can't imagine much more happened, but I don't remember my sword being broken in the scuffle.'_

Caught in her thoughts, Setsuna never noticed the nervous and blushing Nodoka, who was slowly but surely making her way to Negi's table. Yue and Haruna had been urging her to personally invite Negi to accompany their group today and, with everyone now asking, it was either now or never. Taking a deep breath, she shakily approached the table.

'_I-I can do this! I p-p-practiced this! J-Just go up to Negi-sensei and ask!' _Nodoka nodded slightly to herself as she prepared mentally, _'You don't even have to look at him when you say it! J-Just bow your head and you'll be fine!'_

With a few more nervous steps, she now found herself only a few feet away from Negi, who was too busy dealing with the invitations from his other students to notice. Blushing madly, Nodoka quickly turned to her group's table—Yue was nodding at her and Haruna was giving her a wide grin and two thumbs-up. Taking a deep breath, Nodoka bowed her head.

"M-M-My group has f-f-free activity t-time today, so I…i-if it's o-okay with y-you, w-would you p-please come with us?"

If Nodoka could describe herself at the moment, she would have beamed a proud and victorious smile and say she had never felt so good in her life. Her heart soared and bells rang cheerfully in her head—she was so happy she couldn't move. She had said it, she had actually said it! Loudly, she might add—no one in the room was talking, perhaps too stunned to see such a courageous action from one so shy.

'_W-Well, I'm a bit surprised at myself, too…' _Nodoka finally raised her head, a relieved smile on her face, _'I really said that to Neg—'_

Her eyes met a pair of sunglasses and her heart dropped into the pit of her stomach—standing between her and Negi, Naruto stared at her, his smile almost mocking her. She quickly turned her head to her friends—they were sighing, shaking their heads. The reason that everyone was so quiet, the reason the noise had ceased, was that the shyest student in the class, Miyazaki Nodoka, had just asked the weird new kid, Naruto, to hang out with her.

'_H-He must have moved in between us when I bowed my head!' _Nodoka cried mentally. Naruto grinned happily.

"Of course I'd be happy to join you, To-Love-Ru-chan!" Naruto laughed boisterously, "I never refuse the offer of a pretty girl!"

Nodoka, caught in a slight panic attack from the sudden turn of events, paid no mind to the compliment, instead choosing to glance between Negi and the approaching Yue and Haruna, her gaze begging for rescue. Yue stepped forward, lowered her juice and sighed, "Actually, Nodoka wanted—"

"That's great, Nodoka-san!" Negi smiled, catching the group off-guard, "It's so nice of you to invite Naruto-san to join your group for the day! I'm sure Naruto-san appreciates it!"

Naruto nodded, feigning the look of a kicked puppy, "It's so nice of you to want to be my friend! I've been having trouble making friends, you know—all I have is a really mean and emotionally-distant childhood friend who forgot all about me!"

Nodoka looked to Haruna and Yue as Naruto dodged a shoe that was thrown at him by an angry Setsuna. The two pointed to the Negi, who was practically soaked in a naïve sort of happiness and pride. Nodoka sighed—there was no way to take anything back now.

"Y-Yes, we're v-very happy to h-have you, Naruto-san…"

* * *

><p>Evangeline stifled a yawn as she sat up and stretched. Mumbling something incoherently, she kicked off her covers and pushed herself to the edge of her bed, setting her feet down on the cool wooden floors. She stumbled her way into the bathroom, not bothering to remove her sleeping gown. A few minutes later, she exited with a toothbrush sticking lazily out of the corner of her mouth as she managed to stay awake long enough to get to the door.<p>

She exited her bedroom and followed the smell of bacon down the stairs and to the kitchen, where she took a seat at the table and allowed her head to slump against its cool surface. The sound of someone sipping a drink slowly and flipping through the paper across from her caught her attention, and she raised her head to glare at Poyo. Poyo sipped her coffee once more and set the paper aside as she stared back at Evangeline.

"What're you looking at, midget?"

"Nothing, you damn freeloader."

"Girls, girls! No fighting at breakfast! Poyo-san, don't pick fights with Evangeline-san. Evangeline-san, you shouldn't let Poyo-san get under your skin so easily."

Both turned to glare at Wilhelm, who was standing in front of the stove with his pink apron on as he pointed a finger at them. Beside him, Chachamaru stood at attention, jotting down notes as Wilhelm coached her in cooking. Evangeline turned back to Poyo.

"Is he always this infuriatingly motherly?" Evangeline muttered.

"You should've seen him when that blond idiot and I first met. I'm still beating that "Prim-and-Proper Princess" crap outta him," Poyo replied in the same annoyed tone Evangeline had.

"Language, Poyo-san," Wilhelm frowned as he set several large plates of food on the table that he balanced expertly on his two arms. He took a seat next to Poyo while Chachamaru took the seat next to Evangeline. As the three people at the table that actually had stomachs to feed began to pile their plates with food, Chachamaru spoke.

"Wilhelm-san is a very accomplished chef it seems, Master. Naruto-san must very thankful to have him," Chachamaru complimented the food before them. Evangeline simply hummed in response as she ate her meal while Wilhelm laughed.

"You flatter me, Chachamaru-san! I'm just thankful to be of use to Naruto-dono," Wilhelm grinned, before turning to Evangeline and bowing his head, "Making breakfast is the least I could do for Evangeline-san, considering she was thoughtful enough to let us into her home, even if we'll only be staying for a week or two."

"You're just lucky it was an order from that old bastard or you'd be out on the streets," Evangeline muttered.

Poyo snorted, "A puppy can't disobey its master, huh? For all the stories about you, you're just a joke."

"I'd rather be the puppy of that geezer than the puppet of that idiot!" Evangeline glared over the brim of her own coffee mug, "I don't know what power that idiot got into these last few years, but that doesn't change the fact that a dumbass is a dumbass!"

Wilhelm stared at Evangeline evenly for a moment, before sighing and nodding, "I see…I had my suspicions before, but I never thought I would be right. Evangeline-san…you speak with such anger at Naruto-dono's person, but the only thing I can think of to provoke you this much is that…he broke up with you, didn't he? I see it all now—the tragic story of a young girl's maiden heart being stolen away by the suave and cunning young man that is Naruto-do—"

As Wilhelm began to weep what Naruto had dubbed his "Tears of Manliness" years before, he found Evangeline's coffee mug, with much of the coffee still in it, colliding with his left eye. As Poyo got a small laugh from the way Wilhelm fell to the floor clutching his eye, she also noted that an angry and blushing Evangeline now sat before her, swearing at the floored Wilhelm.

"Like that blond dumbass could ever get _any _woman, let alone me, to _ever _fall for him! The last man on Earth doesn't even begin to describe how desperate I would have to be to ever think of even touching him!" Evangeline roared, much to Chachamaru's confusion.

"Master seems to be getting overly worked-up about the matter of dating Naruto-san…"

"Shut up, Chachamaru!"

"Oh, I see…" Poyo smirked, "An old flame of that idiot's, huh? Cute. The Dark Evangel is lonely because her boyfriend left her."

Chachamaru had to physically restrain Evangeline as she stood up, kicking her chair to the floor as she attempted to leap over the table and strangle Poyo, "Let me go, Chachamaru! I'm going to murder that little brat!"

Wilhelm sat back up, placing his hand on the table for support, "Now what did I say about—"

"SHUT UP!" Poyo and Evangeline roared at the same time. The two girls stared at each other for a moment before growling and turning away with a pout. After they had both calmed down, breakfast picked up once more in silence, with the occasional questions or comments being thrown around. Eventually Wilhelm turned to Evangeline with a curious look on his face.

"Ah, I've been meaning to ask this for awhile now, but how did Evangeline-san and Naruto-dono meet, exactly?" Wilhelm questioned, "Naruto-dono had mentioned that you two shared quite a bit of history before we came here."

"Yeah, how did you find that idiot attractive enough to date when you first met him?" Poyo scowled as she ducked to dodge a plate that was hurled at her head. Evangeline growled but continued to pick at her meal.

"I was assigned to watch that little bastard when he first showed up because the old man was afraid of a seven-year-old. I met him the second day he was here," Evangeline grumbled, "The brat was nothing but trouble from the first day."

* * *

><p>"<em>That is your next assignment."<em>

"_That?"_

"_Yes, that."_

"…_You do realize that that is a seven-year-old brat playing in the sandbox alone because he's too big a failure to make friends?" Evangeline gave an annoyed glance to Konoemon as he stared across the park to the boy. It was a sunny spring day in Mahora Academy, the perfect day to relax and do nothing, which was why Evangeline was annoyed to have been called on by Konoe for what looked to be a glorified babysitting job. The two stood on the outskirts of a local park, observing a small boy try to build a sandcastle without water. Overall, Evangeline had been more impressed with insects than the "threat" she was currently looking at._

"_Don't underestimate him—in fact, I'm sure he already knows that we're watching him. He engaged me in quite the little conversation the other day," Konoemon muttered, "He's the type that likes to toy with his food. He's a lot like you, now that I think about it."_

"_I'm sure," Evangeline stated sarcastically. Konoemon gave a tired sigh._

"_All I ask is that you watch him and make sure he doesn't try anything funny. If he's as ordinary as you say, then it should make for an easy task," Konoemon replied as he turned to leave the park, "I have some more work that needs to be done. I'll say it again—don't underestimate him."_

"_I'll try my hardest," Evangeline was already laying on the grass, trying to catch a quick nap. Konoemon sighed once more, shook his head, and left the area. Evangeline allowed for the slow breeze blowing through the park to wash over her as she fell closer and closer to a wonderful nap. She did not allow the noise of the people in the park or the occasional passerby to bother her—she simply let herself relax entirely._

"_Oi, how long are you going to sleep?"_

_Evangeline's eyes snapped open to meet two empty blue ones. She sat up as the boy—her current target—simply stood there and watched her with a smile on his face. She glared, "You dare to wake me, you little brat? Do you have any idea who I am?"_

_The boy tilted his head curiously as his smile stretched just a bit, "…The residential flat, gothic lolita?"_

_The petite girl's attempted strangulation of the boy that followed was the first time Evangeline A.K. McDowell met the enigma that was Naruto._

* * *

><p>"…Not very glamorous, but I can't say it's something the idiot wouldn't say," Poyo commented as she watched Evangeline tremble in rage from the memory. Chachamaru recorded the story to her memory banks while Wilhelm nodded in deep thought.<p>

"I see…" Wilhelm muttered to himself, "So, Naruto-dono is the type to tease his girlfrie—"

A plate collided with his forehead and knocked him to the ground again.

"I _**don't **_like that _**idiot!**_"

* * *

><p>Yue sighed, moving down one of the paths in Nara quietly. In the end, Haruna had managed to convince Asuna to have her group join up with them—this at least meant that Nodoka would have some chance to salvage her failure this morning, as Negi had ended up going with Asuna's group that day. Quick to get the romance between their friend and teacher rolling, Haruna had split up the groups further. This left Nodoka alone with Negi and, in a poorly veiled attempt of Haruna's to tease her, Yue was left alone with Naruto.<p>

The duo was currently just enjoying a quiet, uneventful walk throughout Nara Park…at least it was quiet, until Naruto began to talk endlessly about the joys of manga and ramen.

"…And so my goal for the year is to taste the famous ice-cream ramen! What do you think, Yue-chan? Aren't you going to say something, Yue-chan?"

"There's no point in commenting on it, Naruto-san—everyone in our class has weird traits. Yours, apparently, is an obsession with ramen," Yue mumbled her reply.

Naruto blinked, his grin never fading in the slightest, "I see Cha-chan has a rival for the stoic girl, eh? Well, that's fine too, Yue-chan~! I will, of course, be working for the harem ending, so there's no need for a rivalry between you two!"

"I don't have any kind of rivalry with Chachamaru-san," Yue sighed, giving Naruto a glance, "Do you always try to blend the lines of reality and fiction?"

"Does it bother you, Yue-chan? You seem a bit distant~!"

"Hardly. I just am curious, is all," Yue replied, "I don't know anything about you, after all—you didn't really tell anyone the truth during your introduction. I apologize if I seem cold to you, Naruto-san, but I can't stand liars."

Naruto laughed, "Well, you should absolutely hate me then, Yue-chan! I've never told the truth once in my life~!"

"Funny, Naruto-san," Yue sighed, finishing her juice and tossing the box in a nearby trashcan. Yue fumbled around in the pocket of her blazer for some spare change as she left Naruto to approach a vending machine that was a bit further down the path they were on. Naruto chuckled, "Yue-chan, has anyone ever told you that you—"

"Drink too much juice? Yes, many times," Yue cut in, placing her coins in the machine. She passed her gaze over the assortment of flavors as Naruto approached behind her. Just as she was about to choose the flavor she wanted, Naruto's hand reached out and pressed a random button on the machine. The machine hummed slightly for a moment before a can of juice fell out with a loud clunk. Yue turned to Naruto with a frown.

"Why did you do that?" Yue asked pointedly. Naruto smiled.

"Because I'm evil."

Yue sighed, grabbing the can, _'This is going to be a long afternoon.'_

As the two continued down the road, Yue began to get lost in her thoughts while she sipped her juice—surprisingly, Naruto had chosen one of her favorite flavors that she hadn't noticed was an available option. How was Nodoka managing her time with Negi-sensei? Had she finally confessed or was she still beating around the bush? Yue sighed, remembering her job of keeping Naruto away from the pair so that they could be alone—her new classmate wasn't really bad or "evil" as he claimed, just very annoying. The worst part about it was that it was the type of annoyance that Yue hated the most—the type that was done intentionally. Naruto seemed to thoroughly enjoy teasing just about everyone. Her thoughts drawn to the boy, Yue looked up to find that he was nowhere in sight. Glancing around the immediate area, she found Naruto had wandered off the road into the grass and was now standing in the center of a large crowd of Nara's famous deer, pointing at each of them and mumbling to himself as he did so.

"And I'll name you Chopper-kun, and you are Luffy-kun, and you're going to be Zoro-kun…" Naruto mumbled as he pointed at the deer that surrounded him. Yue sighed once more.

"Naruto-san, we can't take live animals with us, so don't name them."

"Can't hear you, Yue-chan! I'm busy amassing an evil army of deer! Now, you're going to be Usopp-kun…"

Slapping her forehead, Yue took a seat on a nearby bench as she waited for her companion's attention span to run its course. As she quietly savored her juice, the girl had to let out a small smile as she watched her classmate try to befriend the deer—it was rather adorable, if not very weird to see Naruto try and start a conversation about the latest manga with the newly dubbed "Luffy-kun".

* * *

><p>Negi walked stiffly back into the hotel, Naruto observed from his seat in the lobby. The young sensei was blushing something fierce and his mind seemed to be just about anywhere but with him at the moment. Grinning slightly, Naruto waved his hand enthusiastically in the air, "Yo, Negi-chan! What're you up to?"<p>

"N-Naruto-san!" Negi leapt up in surprise as he finally noticed the other boy. His eyes were still wide as he looked to his student, "N-Nothing's wrong! W-Why do you a-a-ask?"

"…No reason!" Naruto smiled, "You just seemed to be a bit out of it, that's all. As the new student in class, shouldn't I have a natural concern for my sensei's health? Shouldn't we all, as a race, try to look after each other? To help each other? To be there for one another? Now, are you really alright, Negi-chan?"

Negi blinked, slightly moved by his student's words, "W-Well, I—"

"Excellent!" Naruto immediately interrupted, causing Negi to sweat-drop. Naruto stifled a yawn next, stood up and stretched. Grinning, he looked to Negi, "It's almost time for the chaperones to use the onsen, so you'd better hurry, Negi-chan."

"Right…" Negi sighed, turning to walk to the open-air hot spring.

"Ah, Negi-chan, one more thing."

"What is it, Naruto-san?" Negi blinked, looking over his shoulder.

"Outside just now, you flipped over a van to save a cat, didn't you?"

Negi stiffened. He had been walking into the hotel when he had noticed a kitten about to get run over by a car outside. Using his magic, he had indeed flipped the van into the air and made it land safely past the feline to save it. Negi's heart dropped, _'N-Naruto-san saw that? I-I-If I get exposed here before I can search for clues about father, t-then…'_

"Negi-chan?"

"N-Naruto-san, it's been a long day!" Negi turned, smiling a sweet if not strained smile, laughing a bit forcefully, "You're tired, so I guess it's natural that you're j-just seeing things! There's no way I could do something like that, of course!"

Naruto smiled his usual smile in turn, "Of course, Negi-chan. I'm just being silly. I'll see you later."

As Negi left, Naruto sunk back down into the comfort of his chair. Taking notice that no one was in the lobby with him, he began to shake his head disappointingly with a sigh, though his smile was still ever-present, "You should never disregard what the villain says in a story, Negi-chan. It might just cost you your life…and I believe I told you not to insult my intelligence. I'll have to punish him for that one…it's the only way he'll learn, after all."

"Of course it is."

Naruto blinked, looking up to see another one of his classmates approaching him. Smiling, Naruto jumped out of his seat and knelt down on one knee, holding one hand across his heart and the other towards the girl. He grinned.

"It seems that this lobby has a lot of flag events—so many cute girls want to meet me here! Anyway, I won't beat around the bush! Would you go out with me?" Naruto questioned. Chao Lingshen looked at the boy oddly for a moment before laughing. She grasped the offered hand and shook it before taking another seat in the room.

"If it's you, I would go out with you in a heartbeat, Naruto-san…but I'm afraid I don't have time for dating-ne!" Chao smiled. Naruto sighed, standing and falling back in his chair.

"The harem ending is a long ways off, eh?" Naruto smiled, "So, to what do I owe this unexpected visit, Miss…?

"My name is Chao, Naruto-san. I just thought I'd introduce myself-ne," Chao smiled.

"I see…and your real reason for seeking me out?"

"Eh? Can't one classmate come see another without any hidden motives? Am I not allowed to—"

"Don't think it's smart to lie to a demon—it's just a good way to dig your grave," Naruto's smile stretched just a bit thinner as Chao felt a chillingly cold stare directed at her from beneath his sunglasses. Chao smiled in turn, and that was how the two sat for a moment, an almost visible tension and silence between them. Finally, Chao giggled into her left hand, breaking the silence.

"My, how rude, Naruto-san—threatening me?" Chao spoke softly, "Even if I was lying to you, it's still very odd of you to be smiling. Most people don't smile when they are being lied to."

"Isn't strength measured by how much one can go through and still keep smiling?" Naruto tilted his head, "I am both the strongest and weakest man in the universe, Chao-chan. I don't know if you really care, but please say whatever you want to say quickly. I don't have a lot of time and I don't care much for people who waste it."

"Even if you say you're the strongest person, the weakest person, or whatever…" Chao smiled, "The reason I'm here is because you _shouldn't _be here."

"Oh?"

"Yes. 'Naruto-san' should not exist here—no one like you should. I know this for a fact-ne," Chao replied, "I don't know who you are or what you are, but you are not supposed to be here. Negi-sensei should not have thirty-two students. He should not have a male student at all, in fact."

"And how exactly do you know this?"

"You have no intentions to reveal yourself to me, so why should I reveal myself?"

"Maybe you should, maybe you shouldn't—I don't know, like you do apparently. Even I've picked up a few things in my short time here, Chao-chan—you're a genius, I hear. I guess if there was anyone to have figured out what should exist and what shouldn't, it would be you, but, even if shouldn't exist, I'm here. What's the point of arguing about it?" Naruto grinned, "As for revealing ourselves…well, we can both clearly see that we have our plans. I'm not a genius like you, though, so I might end up failing. But Chao-chan, geniuses are only different from idiots if they can succeed. My point being…what if I am the reason you won't succeed, you damn idiot?"

"Why don't you tell me what will happen?"

"Well, it'll be just like Weekly Jump," Naruto smiled, "Regardless of if you're good or evil, happy or sad, friendly or cruel…all that matters is power. And the stronger one is deemed "right" in the end. That's how life works, right?"

"Life can be surprising sometimes, you know," Chao answered, standing, "Well, this isn't going anywhere, is it? After all, we both won't be figuring the other out tonight, it seems-ne."

Naruto laughed, "Don't insult me so easily, Chao-chan! Someone like you will never figure me out~!"

"Is that so? But I already know what you're thinking, Naruto-san."

"Please enlighten me," Naruto pressed.

Chao giggled as she turned and walked away, sending her reply lazily over her shoulder as she left the lobby, "You're thinking that my panties are probably black—and you're correct-ne."

Naruto leaned back in his chair quietly for a moment, his smile unwavering on face. After a few minutes past, his smile finally cracked as he burst out into a thunderous laughter. He slapped his knee and threw his head back as he laughed, attracting the occasional odd look from guests as they walked through the hotel lobby. Finally relaxing, Naruto whistled to himself as he rested his head back against the chair.

'_Smart girl,' _Naruto hummed to himself quietly. He lost track of time as he just sat back and relaxed, staring into space, so he wasn't sure how long he had been sitting there when the company of Kaede, armed with two fluffy pillows arrived. Next to her was a much shorter girl by comparison, also with two pillows in hand. Naruto smiled and waved.

"Evening, Kaede-chan! Who's the girl next to you and would she be willing to go out with me?"

The girl in question blushed slightly while Kaede laughed, "This is my friend and your classmate, Ku Fei, and she probably won't—sorry. Naruto-san, you wouldn't have happened to see Negi-sensei anywhere around, have you?"

Naruto held his heart as if it had been shot, "Asking for Negi-chan? Am I not good enough for you, Kaede-chan? Alas, I have fallen victim to the seductions of a temptress! And to think, I gave everything to you!"

Ku Fei blushed a fierce red as she turned to Kaede, who was laughing even harder, "E-EH? I-Is that true-aru?"

"Of course it isn't-de gozaru," Kaede smiled, waving her hand dismissively, "So, have you seen him?"

"So cold, Kaede-chan~!" Naruto sighed, "The last I saw of Negi-chan, he was going to take a bath, but that was probably an hour or so ago. I don't know where he is now, but why do you need to know so badly?"

"It's not important, really-de gozaru," Kaede smiled as she and Ku Fei turned to leave. Naruto laughed.

"C'mon, Kaede-chan, don't just leave me hanging! I'm inquisitive! Curious, even! If I don't get an answer, I'm likely to go crazy!" Naruto grinned, "Well, at the very least, crazier."

"If you really must know, it's part of a game that Asakura-san came up with-de gozaru. There are a few teams running around, but the winner is the first one who finds Negi-sensei and kisses him," Kaede shrugged, "Apparently, there's some special prize involved."

"But if you get caught by Nitta-sensei, it's all over for you-aru!" Ku Fei added, "His punishments are inhumane!"

Naruto gasped, grasping his heart again and falling out of his chair, "Going after the lips of another young man when you already have me? Say it isn't so, Kaede-chan~! Ku-chan, will you abandon me as well? After all the time we've spent together?"

Ku Fei blushed slightly again while Kaede giggled into her palm quietly.

"Sorry, Naruto-san," Kaede spoke, "But it seemed interesting, so I decided to join. No hard feelings-de gozaru?"

"A Fei won't back down from a challenge-aru!" Ku Fei nodded in agreement. Naruto sighed, lying flat out on the ground of the lobby floor, though his smile still never left him.

"Well, I'll guess you'll just have to leave me here to rot then. Go on ahead without me and all that jazz," Naruto made a shooing motion with his hand, "I'll just be here picking up the pieces of my shattered heart if you need me."

Bidding their goodbyes, the duo left and Naruto stood, dusting off his clothes as he did. Grinning lightly to himself as he hummed a soft tune, Naruto made the prominent decision that he was, in fact, very bored. Heading out of the lobby and out onto the dimly lit streets, Naruto quickly decided to rectify this the only way he knew how—causing trouble. Nodding to himself, Naruto hummed in thought, _'Well, whatever the hell is going on in there, it looks like Konoe's watchdogs are going to be distracted by it for quite a bit. Might as well do a bit of talent scouting while I have the time…'_

* * *

><p>'<em>Worst…mission…ever!'<em> A boy groaned, walking down the side of an empty road, running his hands through his spiky brunette hair and over the two pointed dog-like ears that sat on his head. Sighing, his brown eyes scanned the street—Kyoto, despite being such a big place, didn't have much of night life, at least from what he saw. He subconsciously patted the orange cap in the back pocket of his black pants, which he was using to cover his ears from view of the common folk, though there was no need for it currently.

Why was he the only one out here? Why was he the lone wanderer of this tired trail?

Because his partners were a crazy yandere and a boring asshole.

Kotaro Inugami was not one who was able to sit still for long periods of time just doing nothing—he was a man of action! He needed excitement, damn it! A fight, a spar—hell, a death match would be preferable to nothing at all! But no—he been here for about two weeks and nothing! He wasn't even going to meet the targets until the next morning! At the very least, throw him a bone and give him an interesting conversation! Talking to Tsukuyomi, all you were going to get was a never-ending rant about some chick named Setsuna. His other partner had outright refused to give his name—not like it mattered, because the bastard was completely emotionless and silent. He might as well have been a statue!

"It's _Kyoto, _damn it! There's supposed to be _something _interesting!" Kotaro growled, shoving his hands into the pockets of his black jacket. Out of sheer boredom, he had left the "hideout"—a simple hotel room rented under a false name by their employer—to go on a stroll to look for anything to do, but had so far been unsuccessful in doing so. Kicking a pebble as he continued down the road, he continued to grumble as he passed by a nearby alley.

"Being bored is the absolute worst!" Kotaro grumbled, "Something, _anything—_just let it be interesting!"

"Being bored is the worst? I absolutely agree, my friend! Quite the interesting set of ears ya got there, if I don't say so myself!"

Kotaro instinctively whirled around and ripped his hat from his pocket, slapping it on his head sloppily as he glared into the darkness of the alleyway. Sniffing the air, Kotaro frowned—he couldn't smell anyone there. He couldn't sense anyone there. Yet, unless he was starting to go crazy and hear voices in his head, someone was there.

"Alright ya bastard, who the hell are you? Show yourself!" Kotaro barked out.

"No need to be so alarmed and certainly no need to wear that silly hat of yours. There's no need to pretend that you're human with me. Be yourself—don't hold back. Suppose I might as well introduce myself while I'm at it—call me Naruto," the voice spoke out from the cover of the darkness. Kotaro kept his frown stretched across his face as he heard a slow set of footsteps from within the alley. The first thing that popped into his field of vision was a wry smile, followed by the rest of this "Naruto" person.

Kotaro growled, "What the hell do you want?"

"Just to talk, my little friend. Got a name?" Naruto tilted his head.

"…Inugami Kotaro."

"Alright, Ko-chan, I understand that you're bored! How about I help with that?"

Kotaro snorted and began to walk away, "And what the hell can you do?"

"Well, a lot of things really. You're an easy guy to understand—just from lookin' at ya, I've got a pretty good idea about you."

"That so? Alright then, wise guy, tell me about myse—"

"You're the runt of your litter, ain't ya? Got abandoned by your clan, probably because of it, too. Been on your own since then, working to prove them wrong and to keep living in a survival-of-the-fittest world, but you're finding that you're not going anywhere fast and you haven't proven anything to anyone, especially not your family or yourself. Your family issues are probably the reason you always itch for action, too—all that pent up anger and self-pity manifests in a desire to prove yourself to the world and the second you come to a wall in that plan you try to punch through it like an idiot. Despite being so headstrong, you're still just a weakling though, aren't y—"

"Bastard!" Kotaro roared, pulling his fist back and charging towards Naruto. Leaping up, he started to throw his punch forward when he was within striking distance of Naruto, who was completely unmoving in every sense of the word, right down to his infuriating smile.

Kotaro froze, mid-air.

'_W-What? Why can't I—'_

Before Kotaro could even finish the thought, as he struggled to move his fist forward, the sensation of being frozen had left him and he was thrown back. His back collided with the cold pavement of the street about fifteen feet back, causing him to let out a gasp of pain. He immediately sat up, ready to scream at his opponent and attack once more, but an immense pressure struck him and he was once again hit with a different yet similar sensation of being unable to move.

"That, my friend, was a love-tap compared to what I can really do," Naruto spoke as he walked casually over to the boy, "I can read you because we're similar in some ways, Ko-chan. I was weakling like you, just trying to survive in a hellish reality around me. I clawed my way to where I am now and there's a trail of about a thousand corpses behind me to prove it. It takes a misfit to see a misfit, to see the things that the privileged and lucky can afford to just ignore."

Kotaro felt his rage subside slightly to a mix of confusion and understanding, though the pressure did not let up to allow him to speak. He could only sit and listen.

"Seeing those happy people in this world…it makes you just a bit sick, doesn't it? How much they take for granted and how quick they are to pity you…when they, who've been handed everything, are so much more pathetic. It stinks, it's frustrating, but you, unlike them, have nothing to help you when you fail or mess up—you can't afford to step out of line," Naruto muttered, reaching up to adjust his sunglasses, "I know it angers me. I can't stand it! That's why I'm gonna knock the bottom right out from under this world…that's why I am going to change this world! And I would like you to join me when I do."

Naruto fell silent as he finished his short rant and Kotaro felt the pressure let up—he could stand and speak again. Shakily, he got to his feet, staring at Naruto. Kotaro frowned, his glare never leaving his face.

"Even if you say all that…I'm going to get my life back! I'm going to make it to the top with my own power!" Kotaro growled out.

"And do what? Live with those who ignored you? It's been ten years of surviving…how close are you? How far have you progressed towards your goal? Who has acknowledged you? Who has truly seen and looked at you?" Naruto questioned.

Kotaro flinched. He didn't answer.

"I'm probably the first person you've ever met that could understand you—for all you know, I may be the last. Join me—don't be satisfied with just making a life around those who don't see you! Let's change this world!"

"...So, you're asking me to be your ally, huh? And if I say no?" Kotaro, despite himself, allowed a small, challenging grin to slip across his face. Naruto matched his smile with one of his own.

"Then I'll force you to be my ally. Of course, you know how we scum of society work…if you aren't useful, of course I won't want you as an ally. Make me acknowledge you, Ko-chan—now's your chance."

Without warning, Naruto found himself surrounded by six large, black dogs, each bearing their fangs and letting loose low, guttural growls. Naruto's eyes drifted lazily to glance at the dog spirits before turning back to Kotaro, who had fallen into a fighting stance with a wicked grin on his face. Naruto smiled and placed his hands into his pockets.

"Don't get upset when I kick your ass!" Kotaro smirked.

Naruto chuckled, "Confidence is good and all, Ko-chan, but don't get your head in the clouds now—you'll just be disappointed in the end."

The dogs each leapt up, poised to sink their fangs into Naruto's throat. Naruto, in turn, effortlessly jumped into the air a good ten feet, easily out of the range of the dogs, which quickly leapt up the walls of the alley to reach the blond. Naruto grinned and nonchalantly removed one hand from his pocket and pointed his palm outward, "_Shinra Tensei!_"

The dogs each felt as if the weight of the world itself had suddenly been chained onto them as they were unmercifully rocketed back to the ground below them. Where normal dogs would have been flattened from the sheer force of the impact alone, the spirits simply evaporated in dark plumes of smoke as they collide with the ground in a dull thud. His eyes quickly scanned the area as Naruto noticed the lack of a Kotaro.

A mocking whistle sounded above him.

Twisting in mid-air, Naruto brought his foot up to block a punch from Kotaro, who grinned at him.

"Interesting…!" Kotaro grinned madly, excitement rushing through his veins. Naruto smirked.

"You're gonna love this, then…!"

Naruto outstretched both hands as glowing, silvery chains appeared in them. As the two fighters allowed gravity to take its effects and began to fall back down, Naruto grave a sharp, whip-like motion with the chains. With a violent lash, the chains struck and wrapped around Kotaro, binding his legs and arms. Before Kotaro could process what had just happened, he felt a powerful tug on the chains as he was slammed into the ground by Naruto, who landed gracefully on his feet a few seconds later.

Groaning, Kotaro got to his feet quickly, "You…what kind of mage are you? You obviously aren't a western mage—which I like—but you sure as hell aren't using any ki techniques that I've ever seen. What gives?"

"Hm? Oh, of course I'm not gonna use magic or ki, Ko-chan~!" Naruto smiled, "Because I have absolutely no access to either of those things."

"E-Eh? Quit screwing with me! Of course you do!" Kotaro yelled, "How else did you do all that?"

"Believe what you want, Ko-chan."

Thoroughly thrown for a loop and not about to let it show one bit, Kotaro rushed forward as three more of him appear, "Eat this!"

"Four times zero is still zero, Ko-chan," Naruto taunted as the boy growled. The four rushed into striking distance and each let out a flurry of attacks—in a storm of punches, kicks, sweeps—Kotaro was sure that there was no blind-spot, no room to dodge other than to fall back. He thought so, until Naruto ducked and weaved through each and every attack so skillfully that he made it look like child's play—to Naruto, Kotaro realized, it probably was.

Naruto made his way out of the barrage and past the group of clones. Without turning to look back, he held out an arm behind him, "_Banshō Ten'in!_"

The real Kotaro was once again stunned with confusion as he felt a strong tug on his frame before he was flung forward at an alarming speed. His clones vanished behind him as his throat slammed into Naruto's open palm and he hacked up saliva. In a dash, Naruto brought his arm and Kotaro around in front of him and delivered two strong and deep punches to Kotaro's stomach, forcing up more saliva and blood from the boy. Naruto then tossed him into the air and held out his other palm, "_Shinra Tensei!_"

Kotaro's back collided with the back of the alley as he fell into a crumpled pile among the trash that was placed back there. He felt his stomach wretch and the world around him was blurry, as more blood escaped his mouth. Shakily, he lifted his gaze to Naruto, who stood waiting for him a few feet away. Growling, he launched three punches into the air, sending blasts of pure ki towards his opponent. Naruto smiled and outstretched his palms to catch the blasts. As the attacks collided with them, they were sucked into his hands, leaving no trace behind.

"W-Wha—"

"Non-physical attacks won't work on me, Ko-chan," Naruto interrupted, "It was a nice attempt though."

Kotaro stared at Naruto in bewilderment for a moment, before grinning wildly, "Heh…Hahahahaha! Yes! This is what I'm talking about! You—you're the real deal! You're strong! Power like yours…this is what I've been waiting for!"

Naruto grinned, "Interested in my strength? Go all out. I'll show you more of it. I told you, Ko-chan, there's no need to pretend to be human with me."

"…Heh. Just remember…you asked for it," Kotaro chuckled as his hair slowly began to turn blond as it grew longer and wilder, falling down his back. He grew a good two feet and his muscles bulged out on his arms, legs, and chest. His arms and legs became animal like appendages, covered in fur and with each finger and toe gaining long, razor-sharp claws. Ignoring the fact that now both his shoes and shirt were completely wrecked, Kotaro was about to charge forward and revel in the rare time he got to use his real strength. He made three steps forward…

"Oh—Ko-chan went Super Saiyan. Interesting."

He found himself cracking against the brick wall of the alley again, Naruto's hand wrapped around his throat once more. Weakly, Kotaro glared into Naruto's covered eyes—he could feel a mocking gaze from behind the sunglasses meeting his own eyes. With an almost lazily draw, Naruto spoke again.

"The second I remove my hand, I am going to take with it your soul—it is well within the realm of my powers to do so. You'll be left an empty shell, with no capability of moving, speaking—even thinking a single thought will be impossible for you. From there, I will use these…" Naruto lifted his other hand and produced a black rod, "…to control your every movement and action. You'll quite literally become my puppet and lose all free will…so, please understand that it is my victory at this point."

Naruto dropped Kotaro, who coughed and rubbed his throat gently. Kotaro frowned at the blond, reverting back to his normal form, "So…this entire time, you were just toying with me, then? Holding back that much?"

"I wasn't toying with you, Ko-chan…rather, I was testing you," Naruto replied, pocketing the rod, "I could make anyone I want my servant that way…but I don't have any interest in mindless subordinates. You're useless unless you have the capability to one day be on par with me, so why not walk the same path a little, Ko-chan?"

"So…I passed this little test?" Kotaro gave a small grin.

"You're a little rough around the edges, but you certainly got a passing score for potential," Naruto offered, returning the grin.

"And if I'm still not convinced I want to join you?"

"Tell me so," Naruto shot back, "And we'll fight again."

Kotaro paused, looking at Naruto for a moment, sizing the teen up…before he burst out laughing, "Looking forward to it, ya damn bastard!"

"Good choice, Ko-chan. Well then…" Naruto nodded, his smile still ever-present, "I'll be seeing ya around, I guess."

Kotaro blinked before springing to his feet, ignoring the stinging pain as he did so, "H-Hey, shouldn't you give me some way to contact you or…I don't know, something? I'm supposed to be working with you, right? How the hell am I gonna find you again?"

Naruto waved Kotaro's worries off with his hand as he continued to walk out of the alley, "Oh, we'll meet again, Ko-chan, so don't worry about it. For now, just do whatever you were planning on doing. When we next meet…I don't know, I guess I might have a plan for you then! These things take time, Ko-chan~!"

"Y-You're pretty laidback about this whole "changing the world" thing…"

"Meh. I'm mostly just lazy."

* * *

><p>And that's a wrap! Sorry about the…damn, three months? I didn't think it had been that long. Senior year got kind of hectic with all the projects they tried to throw at me last year, finals, and I finally got my first job…it's mostly manual labor, so any free time I've had lately has been devoted to sleeping. But now, summer is here and I finally have time to write again, so I do apologize for the long wait, but I had my reasons.<p>

Naruto got a bit serious in the end of this chapter, didn't he? Well, the main villain has to act serious sometimes. On that note, how did the fight scenes go? Were they good? I'm never sure how well my fight scenes are, so please leave a comment about them! It would really help me out a lot!

Now, to answer some of the comments from last time!

_Why not just make a Medaka x Negima crossover and use Kumagawa? _Good question! I actually had originally planned to do so, but I couldn't come up with a good plan for Kumagawa as the main villain—I just couldn't think of an overall goal for him to be in Mahora for, for him to jump through all these hoops for the Negima storyline, when he could just make it all disappear and when all his goals—i.e. Medaka—weren't even at Mahora—I was just at a lost on what to do with him. Naruto has other villains that I can and will be bringing in and has a world that I can easily fit in the magical world while completely changing how he grew up to make him like Kumagawa—it just seemed like a good alternative. Plus, I have the entire plot set out in my mind and I really, really like it. Furthermore, Kumagawa is really the only character that I really, really like from Medaka Box. Other than him and sometimes Medaka and Shiranui, I just can't find myself rooting or wanting to write about the other characters. I hope this kinda clears up why I did what I did.

_That Flashback… _I know the italicized words may have annoyed some people, but I just honestly can't write "FLASHBACK" and "END FLASHBACK"—my pride won't let me. It's like an actor reading that stage directions in a script, "I'm Batman…now it says I walk five steps to the left and punch the Joker." It just feels weird to me. As for transitions, yeah, I'll admit that was one of the sloppier ones, but I think it was still clear enough—I mean, there were only two characters in the flashback and when it ends, the next scene immediately begins with one of them.

_Wilhelm and Poyo's powers... _Yes, they do have more than I showed off there. They will retain all of their powers from the cannon series, but I will have to branch out a bit more since Poyo was basically completely glanced over and Wilhelm really only showed that he could "shoop-da-woop" and turn people to stone. Someone asked if Poyo was at Theodora or Negi's mom's level, being a princess too and all. She's not quite there yet, mostly because she is still considerably young.

_Shouldn't Naruto Be Able to Pick Negi Off as the Hero Type? _Keep in mind, this is a world with people like Rakan, Nagi, Konoe, and Evangeline. Compared to powerhouses like those, no one, no matter how much potential they have, would be labeled the "Hero" character quicker than they would. Furthermore, Naruto just really doesn't like Negi as was seen in this chapter and as I will explain in future chapters why he doesn't. I don't really like Negi either, so believe me, I will explain why Naruto hates him.

_Pairing? _Yes, there will be a pairing. I debated on whether it should be a single or a harem and, in the end…if I want to do a Negima story justice, I feel like it has to be a harem. I know it annoys some people, but I'm going to keep it small and I'll try to do it as realistically as possible—none of the girls are ever going to say "I don't mind sharing" because I hate it when they say that. It belittles the characters so much. It will definitely be more of the whole "rivalry" thing. I'd rather not say flat out what the pairing is and instead let it develop naturally in story.

_Can Naruto use the Sharingan powers?_ As Naruto is now, he cannot use any of the Sharingan abilities, only the Rinnegan. I know Madara can still use them and the Rinnegan abilities in cannon, but Madara started out with the Sharingan which then evolved—Naruto started out with normal eyes, he has never had the Sharingan, which I why I'm thinking Pein didn't use any of them in cannon either. Basically, Pein and Naruto are in the same pool of abilities. Now might I have some plans in the future that might make Naruto branch out his doujutsu abilities? Maybe, maybe not. If anything happens, it won't be until at least late Mundus Magic arc.

Once again, sorry for the very overdue update, folks! Please leave your criticisms/praise in a comment! Have a nice day everyone!


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